A Matter of Time
by amazoness23
Summary: I thought it was a dream, until Wally asked me to help him fight a war. He was alive, fighting a war for an alien race on a planet in a different dimension. Somehow, I was going to reach that planet, help him win the war, and somehow, I'd bring him home to Artemis. That's just what you do when your fiancé's best man turns out to be alive after saving the world. Richard/OC Spitfire
1. Welcome to Savoth

**Yes this is the third fic in my Songbird series. I was really overwhelmed by the amount of reviews, follows and favs I received at the end of Crazy Challenge 2. So much that I just had to start writing the much favored Wally fic. This takes place three months after the end of Crazy Challenge 2 (So if you haven't read that fic, you should really go read it before this fic, and Songbirds Cry, the fic before Crazy Challenge 2 and A Matter of Time). Hope you guys enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Young Justice. I only own the plot, and my characters Alexis Dilan Henderson and Karie Blaire Henderson. I also don't own the cover image. (This disclaimer is meant for all of the chapters in this fanfiction.)**

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**Savoth**

**November 26TH 6:45 a.m.**

**Alexis' Pov**

_I found myself standing on some glass circle, the sound of lapping waves behind me. I turned around and froze, taking in the strange red sky, the amount of strange plants that surround the large blue lake. Behind the lush greenery stood tall mountains, and to the left of the mountains was almost like a glass city. I pulled the sleeves of my white long-sleeved shirt up when a warm breeze brushed past me. Where am I?_

_"Are you Alexis?" I turned back around, searching for the owner of the voice. There was a rustle in the bushes, and I caught a quick flash of yellow and red. "Over here!"_

_I quietly jumped over the bushes, landing gracefully. I ducked my head behind the bushes, while I looked around for the yellow and red blur. I felt something tap me on the shoulder, and by instinct, I quickly grabbed for the hand, spinning around quickly. I had stuck my leg out as I spun around, and I heard the satisfying fall of the stranger. He sat up on his rump, scratching his hair embarrassingly._

_"Oops, not something you would see S'Kidd Flash do, huh?," he laughed nervously. His expression changed quickly, turning very serious. "I can see through you."_

_I raised an eyebrow at the alien, before realizing that I was probably in my Soul-Clone form. Looking down to confirm my prediction, I could make out the grass and dirt through my flannel pajama pants. How I ended up on this strange planet was definitely beyond me. I heard approaching footsteps against the pavement behind us, and I quickly pushed S'Kidd and I behind a tree. I held a finger to my lips, silencing him. We watched as two Reach soldiers walked by, looking around for anything suspicious or out-of-place. S'Kidd let out a sigh once they were out of ear shot. I released my rather aggressive hold on his suit, relaxing my tense shoulders._

_"Is there some place where we could talk, and they won't find us?" I asked, taking in his jumpsuit. It was yellow and red, just like Kid's and had the same red lightning bolt insignia on the chest._

_"Follow me, and don't worry, I won't leave you in the dust," he said, smiling._

_He led us to one of the mountains on our side of the lake, and pulled one of the nearby tree branches. Instead of snapping off like I'd expected, a part of the mountain side opened around S'Kidd's height. He entered first, and I followed him closely, looking back to make sure we weren't being followed. The hidden door closed, not making a single sound. Not like anyone would hear, we were probably in one of the deepest parts of the jungle. He walked confidently down a flight of steps that led to a series of doors. I followed him into the first one on the left. The door slid open swiftly, and I saw Karie turn around watching me. I looked over to the person she was conversing with, and I could barely hear my voice when I spoke._

_"Wally?"_

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	2. Alone

**For those who haven't noticed, the first chapter and this one are written in Italics because Alexis and Karie are somewhat in a dream-state.**

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**Savoth**

**November 26TH 6:51 a.m.**

**Karie's Pov**

_"Wally?" Alexis asked, her attention on Wally. I knew exactly how she felt, I was the same when I first saw Wally._

_I was lulled into a deep sleep that night, and must've been thinking about Artemis and her pain. Somehow, that had been the beacon that led me here; Savoth, a planet in a different dimension, only reachable through the Speed Force. S'Kidd found me by accident, and saved me from almost slipping into an unknown river, just in time for us to hide from several Reach soldiers. He told me about this planet as he led me to a safer refuge where we could talk. That's how I met Wally again. He was scarfing down some odd-looking sandwich, but I was the one who almost choked when I saw him sitting there in the cafeteria._

_That was two weeks ago, starting the day of Wally's birthday. I was over at Artemis', trying to comfort her like a good best friend. According to Artemis she found me without a heartbeat on the couch that morning, and thought that maybe she almost lost me as well. That is until I woke up gasping._

_"Care for a sandwich?" Wally asked, grinning widely._

_We all went to the cafeteria, where Wally and I took turns explaining things to Alexis. Actually, it went more like Alexis listening to me explaining things, while she confusingly listened to Wally with his mouth full._

_"When I first got here, I woke up in the in the Capital, where the king had kept me while I rested and woke up. He told me about Jay Garrick, the first Flash and how he helped the Savothians win their war against intruders years ago. They had a huge respect for Garrick and his successors, and **were seen** as their heroes. I got the celebrity treatment, but when I asked if there was anyway I could go back to Earth, they said that their current Speed Force fragment was undergoing a trade with the Reach," Wally explained, recalling the same words he said to me. He stopped to take three more bits out of his odd-looking sandwich. I would've called it a baloney sandwich, but I didn't even know what kind of meat Savothians ate here. "I immediately told the king about what had just happened on Earth, and about how I had vanished because of the chrysalis going off. One of his head scientists explained to me how the chrysalis acted like the portal of the Speed Force, and had sent me here. The king believed me, and had tried to call off the trade, but—"_

_"So why were the 'Savothians' trading such an important item like that in the first place?" Alexis asked, surprisingly interrupting Wally._

_"The king was offering the Speed Force fragment because he wanted a Scarab in return," S'Kidd answered for Wally. He was sitting beside me, eating as sloppily as Wally. I guess high metabolism and super speed isn't the only things that speedsters have in common; talk about learning some manners. "Of course, the Reach wanted to give us something else instead."_

_I flicked a stray piece of alien lettuce off of my left fore arm, before I continued telling the story to Alexis. "They offered to give the Savothians some of their Reach-Tech, but after the king tried to call off the trade, the Reach already had some of their fleets hiding in the lake you probably saw earlier. It's just like what happened on Earth: friendly walking into our home, us inviting them eagerly, and then the back stab us by trying to take over our home."_

_"That's why you guys have to help me—I mean help me save my home and my people," S'Kidd said. He had finished his sandwich, but was now looking solemnly at the crumbs on the glass plate. My eyes flickered to his hand which rested by his right side, and saw his hand ball up into a fist. "That's one of the reasons I was created in the first place; to be the great speedster hero that everyone looks up too."_

_"I get it now," Alexis mumbled, fidgeting with her hands. She pulled at the sleeves of her cotton shirt as she spoke, "We're going to help you S'Kidd, no doubt about that, but how are we even suppose to get here?"_

_Wally smiled happily as he finished the last of his sandwich, standing up. "This is where the team effort comes in. Now to be a little scientific..."_

* * *

_After a long, detailed, scientific break-down of getting to Savoth in our physical bodies, and with the team, we stood in the lab discussing more details that Wally knew Dick would ask about._

_"We defeated the Reach in June, and Savoth was at peace with the Reach throughout July, and August," Wally said, trying to convert the months from a Savothian calendar to our calender. "but things started going down hill during mid-September, and during mid-October things just went crazy. The Reach attacked the Capital and took over it."_

_"Now he has the king as a hostage, and everyone else in the city," S'Kidd added._

_"Right, so now it's almost the end of November, and the Reach hasn't made any sudden calls yet," Alexis said, her eyes running over the computer screen of the laboratory._

_I was standing beside her, with my arms crossed over my chest. "So when should we break the news to everyone?"_

_"Now would be better than later, but I feel like I'm forgetting something..." Wally trailed off, his eyes fixed on the computer screen as well. You could've practically seen the lightbulb go off over his head when he remembered. "Today's Novermber 26th! Alexis, happy birthday!"_

_Wally wrapped Alexis in a big bear hug, like an older brother would. I stifled a laugh, and watched as Wally gave her a noogie. She struggled to pull out of his grip, her arms tugging at his. Red streaked her brown hair and her eyes became yellow slits. "Wally, I'm twenty now, not ten, so let go of me!"_

_In an instant, Wally had let go of her and was standing as still as a statue behind her. The red streaks slowly dispersed, turning back to the olive-brown it should be. Her eyes changed to her warm hazel ones that we both shared, and she fixed her hair restlessly._

_"If I remember correctly, you're physical body is still in bed sleeping," I said, watching as Wally apologized to Alexis silently. "I'm guessing it's around seven in the morning back on Earth."_

_Alexis' face snapped in my direction, and her face had gone still. "Oh my goodness, Dick's going to think I'm dead!"_

_I burst into a fit of laughter this time, imagining Dick waking up to find his fiancée a lifeless rag doll. "Go ahead and get back to Earth, we'll meet up for your birthday later anyways."_

_She sent an apologetic look at me, Wally, and S'Kidd. S'Kidd just wished her a happy birthday, before Alexis vanished in a blinding white light. 'Finally,' I thought. I turned to look at Wally. "Could we talk alone?"_

_"Yeah, sure," Wally said. I glanced at S'Kidd, nodding my head at the door. He couldn't have run out of it more awkwardly; he stumbled halfway to it, before racing out. "So what did you want to talk about?"_

_I leaned against the control panel of the large computer, my face stressed. I looked up at Wally and realized how much we've both changed over the course of four months. He was still lean and muscular, but I could see traces of stumble sprinkled across his chin. 'Guess they don't have razors on Savoth,' I smiled inwardly. I had changed as well; I now wore my hair out, unless I had to suit up, and my facial features had hardened and become more defined, losing my teenage youth._

_"Artemis is going to kill us both when I tell her," I whispered, a small smile creeping on to my face. Wally let out a smile, knowing better than anyone other than myself how angry Artemis was going to be. Over the five years of Alexis' disappearance, Artemis and I became the best of friends because of our pain of losing a sister. Since she was dating Wally, I learned that he was more than just the flirty, jokester when I first met him. He cared about many people, and was very protective. Not to mention brave, and spoke his mind a lot._

_"Nah, I think she loves us both too much to even yell at us," Wally laughed lightly, scratching the back of his neck._

_It was quiet again, but only because we both knew what her reaction to all of this was going to be. "She's going to want to come, to see you, to help you, to fight this brewing war, and help save this world."_

_Wally let out another laugh, and I arched an eyebrow at him, challenging him to tell me what was so funny about such a serious topic. "One of the last things Artemis ever said to me was, 'There's always going to be a world to save.' It's almost like she knew this was going to happen."_

_"Yeah, but no one expected your death was going too," I said softly. Wally let out a soft sigh in response, agreeing to my words, but not really knowing how to respond._

_"Hey, you know your Soul-Clone thing?" Wally asked. I nodded silently, wondering where a question like that came from. "Could you take materialized objects and bring them back with you to your physical body?"_

_The question had come to mind before over the years, but I've never tested out the theory before. I shrugged, "It's worth a shot, why, you have something you want me to take?"_

_He picked a small piece of paper lying on one of the experiment tables to our left. Strange, I never noticed it there before. "I kind wrote this letter a while back, after the first time you came here. I thought, maybe you could give it to Artemis."_

_He stood in front of me now, the small folded paper waiting to be retrieved by me. I looked up at Wally and finally saw something I rarely saw from them. It was the loving look he gave to Artemis now and then, but it was mixed with a look of lost, and loneliness. I grasped the paper gently, smiling at Wally. I held up and spoke, "Whatever you wrote, I hope it'll save me a long lecture about why I didn't tell her in the first place."_

_I left in a blur, but I was able to catch the 'thank you' that slipped from his mouth before I was gone. It took a while to reach my physical body, so I had a few minutes to think. The thoughts were pretty depressing though. 'Artemis and Alexis are lucky to have good guys who love them so much, and to be able to love them back just as much,' I thought. 'It's funny I always imagined I'd get married before Alexis.'_

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**New York, Rochester**

**November 26TH 7:13 a.m.**

**Karie's Pov**

I woke up in my small apartment, only a few blocks from my university. I had fallen asleep on the couch, sheets of music scattered over my small coffee table, while my old guitar leaned against the nightstand beside the couch. I was up studying my new sheets for the next band practice. I sighed, getting up to make myself a cup of hot chocolate. I stirred the powder and water mix, but I was thinking about one thought that had been pushed to the back of my mind for years.

_'If only I could ever meet someone who loved me.'_

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**Sorry for such a slow chapter, but there are a lot of things going on, especially possibly another war with the Reach, a wedding a few months away, birthdays, saving the world, etc. It's all a matter of time; enough time to win the war, save a world, and get back home in time for the wedding.**

**I wrote this chapter in Karie's point of view, because I realized that she's always been lonely. She's never had a complete family for years, and she's always been longing for that one guy who could make her feel like she's deserves to be the noticed, to feel special. That's why she finds music comforting, and because the spotlight is always on you (unless you're in band). Any thoughts on who I should pair Karie up with, cause he might make an appearance in this fic. Tell me who you think best fits Karie, preferably a character from the DC Universe, or maybe I'll just have to make another OC?**

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	3. The Winter Festival

**Sorry for the long wait! These past few weeks have become increasingly busy, but since it was a long weekend, I decided to finally finish the long-awaited chapter. It's the longest chapter I've ever written (over 5000 words) so enjoy this extra long chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I only own the OCs not found in the DC Universe.**

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**Blüdhaven, Dick's Apartment**

**November 26TH 7:16 a.m.**

**Dick's Pov**

I rolled over in our bed, wrapping my arms around Alexis' waist, pulling her closer to me. I couldn't have been happier these past four months, and we only had four more months to go until our wedding day. Of course, planning the whole event was driving us both stir-crazy time and time again, but at least we have each other to get through it. Oh, and a lot of advice and help from Bruce, Alfred, Mrs. Henderson, and Raquel. I blinked my eyes open, the cherry scent of Alexis filling my nose. I kissed her hair, mumbling a "Happy birthday," but Alexis didn't answer back with a quiet "Good morning to you too," like usual. I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, and used my elbows as support to lift myself up.

"Alexis?" I placed a hand on her shoulder, and there was no reaction. The small confusion I felt, started to grow, and I gently turned Alexis on to her back, so that she was under me. There was a look of serenity on her face, but she was still. There was no rise and fall of her chest, or the faint sound of air being exhaled from her nose. I slowly placed two fingers against her neck, checking for a pulse. There was nothing. My pulse on the other hand, couldn't have beaten fast enough. I tried C.P.R. on her, and there was still nothing.

I still hovered over Alexis, not sure what to do, but stare at her lifeless body. Panic was definitely not the right word to describe how I was reacting to all of this. It was more like a combination of grief, pain, sadness, and the same way I felt when Alexis was kidnapped all those years ago; like my world came crashing down in a matter of seconds.

_"It won't happen again,"_ came Alexis' voice, as I recalled her promise. _"I promise that I won't go anywhere."_

"You wouldn't go anywhere, huh?" I asked in a small voice, hoping that Alexis would answer, but there was nothing, and the pain washed through me all over again. I kept trying to think of what went wrong, she was perfectly fine the past few weeks. Was it an injury from the mission we went on the other day? As I was about to search for any sign of an injury, a sudden gasp, and a frantic, but moving Alexis sprang upward, and our foreheads collided. _She was alive, she's alive, so that means she was just using Soul-Clone._ She rubbed her forehead with the heel of her hand, but she froze to stare at me, a small smile gracing her lips.

"You found me lifeless again didn't you?" she asked, trying not to smirk.

I would've frowned at her question, but I nodded before scolding her. The relieved smile on my face didn't really help though. "You were gone again, and you promised that you wouldn't go anywhere."

"I'm sorry," she said softly, lifting her head so that our lips met. _She's here, she's definitely still here._ She lied back down on to the bed, smiling up at me.

"Where did you Soul-Clone too?" I asked, wondering why she might be smiling.

Her smile grew even wider, before she rolled over to her side. "Come on, I'll tell during breakfast."

We made a simple breakfast of toast, scrambled eggs and milk. We placed our plates down on our counter, where we sat beside each other. I popped the last piece of toast into my mouth, before washing it down with some milk. "So, are you going to start explaining?"

Alexis placed her fork down, while swallowing a piece of scrambled egg. She looked over at me, slight hesitation stopping her. "I know how much you wished Wally would be here to be your best man."

That surprised, but she was right, I did miss my best bud. Ever since I was fifteen, we both just knew that we would be right there with each other on their special day. A twang in my heart, and I lost my appetite.

Alexis reached over and wrapped both of her hands around mine. We stared at each other; Alexis sucking in a breath. "I fell asleep thinking about that, and somehow I ended up on Savoth."

"You mean that planet Jay Garrick saved years ago?" I asked, raising a confused eyebrow, not knowing where this conversation was going to lead to.

Alexis nodded. "I met S'Kidd Flash, a citizen of the planet, and supposedly created to be the Flash's partner. He saved me, sorta, from some Reach soldiers who were patrolling the area."

"The Reach? You mean they've already moved on to another planet?" I asked, while memories of the Reach invading Earth briefly flashed through my mind.

"He led me to a secret bunker, and Karie was there. She stood there talking with—" Alexis stopped, watching me carefully. I gave a curt nod for her to continue. "Wally. She was talking to Wally."

I felt like I'd been hit in the face by two bricks all in one morning. "How is that possible? Bart and Barry saw him disappear."

Alexis shook her head, smiling, before correcting me, "The chrysalis acted as a portal to the Speed Force, and Wally was sent through it."

"And Savoth is a planet only located in a dimension through the Speed Force," I added. Everything began to clear, his sudden disappearance wasn't because the chrysalis was using him as the exit, but more like it was the open door that Wally was thrown through. "What did he say?"

Alexis explained how the Reach had somehow managed to reach and find Savoth, and had offered a friendly trade; Reach-Tech for a Speed Force fragment. The same fragment that is given to speedsters so that they could return home. Wally had convinced the king of Savoth to call off the trade, but the Reach refused and invaded Savoth.

"He's holding the whole city there captive, but I think S'Kidd said something about the king having hidden the fragment somewhere," Alexis said. Her once full plate was now empty, and both of our glasses of milk were finished. "Only Wally and S'Kidd escaped before they took over, and now they've asked for our help."

I was deep in thought, thinking over the details, and reorganizing them in my head. "If we try to intervene we might end up destroying Savoth."

"But if we get sent through a chrysalis, chances are we'll be sent back to Earth," Alexis pointed out. She squeezed my hands comfortingly. "We can't just let those innocent civilians be caught up in a mess we sort of started. Besides, if we win, and we have a way to get their and back, Wally will be with us."

That was enough for me. I nodded. "Alright, we'll go over everything with the League and the rest of the team, then we'll talk to Jay about his fragment. For now though, we have to go to the Winter Festival in Gotham."

Alexis' eyes widened. "Today's the twenty-sixth?" She shook her head, laughing at herself. "I can't believe I forgot."

I pulled her up, and wrapped my arms around her, quickly pressing my lips against her. I laughed inwardly when I heard her surprised gasp become silenced immediately. We rest our foreheads against each others, and Alexis smiled.

"You know, you always knew how to make me smile," Alexis said, glancing up at me.

We stared at each, and I smiled as I watched her. She was happy. The one time frame was forever in my mind, and I could still see the happiness that radiated from her. It was in her eyes, those warm, loving hazel-brown eyes, and it was because of me.

* * *

**Gotham City**

**November 26TH 3:46 p.m.**

**Alexis' Pov**

The start of my birthday was interesting, but I was very happy. We had stopped by at the manor and had stayed for lunch with Bruce, Alfred, Tim, and Karie. Now, all of us were down in the Bat Cave, discussing what had happened over night. Karie explained her side of the story, apparently having visited Savoth weeks earlier.

"Wally convinced the king of Savoth that he shouldn't get involved with the Reach after what happened on Earth, and how he was sent there because of their technology," Karie said, leaning against Bat Computer. I was surprised Bruce hadn't said anything, then again, Karie did spend five more years with him then I had. "When the king tried to call it off, the Reach took matters into their own hands. They've taken the whole city captive, but they don't know about Wally being on Savoth."

"Or where S'Kidd disappeared too," I said, adding to Karie's explanation. "They're hiding right now, in a bunker deep in the forests outside of the city, and they've asked for our help to fight against the Reach."

Bruce was silent, before he began typing away on the Bat Computer. An image of the Flash's lightning bolt insignia appeared, but it was silver and three-dimensional. "The Speed Force Fragment. Given to speedsters that find their way to Savoth so that they are able to return home. Jay Garrick was the first Flash to receive one. I could build a zeta-tube powered by the solidified fragment safe enough to travel through."

"But wouldn't we end up in different locations?" Tim asked. he was formally dressed in a suit, a white dress shirt neatly tucked under his jacket, while a black bow tie was wrapped around his neck. "Like one squad ends up in the middle of the city in broad daylight."

"No one ever said anything about sending a whole team there," Bruce said, before anything. "We'll go over all of this tomorrow with the League and the team back at the Watch Towers."

"I believe it is time to make your annual opening speech at the Winter Festival, Master Bruce," Alfred said, as he walked out of the elevator. Bruce had decided to install an elevator to replace the stairs, because of Alfred's old age. Not that he had said that to Alfred.

"We'll talk later," Bruce said, getting up from his chair. We followed him out of the Bat Cave, going into the elevator by two's. Alfred left with Bruce, while Karie went with Tim, and Dick and I were last.

"So Bruce didn't decide to change the date of the Winter Festival?" I asked, grabbing Dick's hand.

He squeezed it gently, tracing circles with his thumb. "Never, every single year he had to attend with Alfred, and not once did he ask for Karie or I to join him."

I nodded, understanding the rest of it. This very day on the calendar was a painful reminder of me, and how I had just disappeared off the face of the Earth. Funny how it always seems to be brought up even though I'm here now. I mumbled an apology, but Dick only smiled, pecking me on the cheek. I felt my cheeks heat up, and I scolded myself for still being so bashful, even though we were engaged. I guess it was just the thirteen-year-old part of me that hadn't grown up.

"You know, you were suppose to dress formally for the banquet held inside City Hall?" Dick asked, giving me a quick look over. I glanced down at my attire. I admit, it was more casual than formal, but it was freezing outside, and I would rather be able to feel my toes than wearing a thin dress. Of course, I wouldn't want to ruin Dick's or Bruce's reputation, so I managed to hide my formal attire under my outer wear, which consisted of a mid-thigh length beige coat, black leggings, and a warm pair of moccasins.

"I am, but it's cold outside. I planned on changing while Bruce gave his speech," I answered. "Besides, Karie was going to drag me inside anyways."

I glanced curiously at Dick, when I heard him stifle a laugh as the elevator doors opened. He shook his head, mumbling something. The only words I made out were 'Thank God' and 'Dense'. "Did you say something?"

"Just that you're going to be so surprised when you see what I got for your birthday," Dick said smoothly, winking at me for the extra effect. "and that you'd look beautiful in a dress or pajamas anyways."

"Nice save." I blushed, playfully pushing his shoulder. He barely even moved, and I could tell it was because of the all the muscle he's built over the years.

We walked out of the elevator, the grandfather clock sliding shut. The clock's time automatically shifted from 10:47 to 5:18, and I smiled sadly. _The time of the unfortunate death of Bruce's parents._ We walked out of the small cozy room, lit by a warm fire from the fire-place. As we were walking past Alfred's room, Dick stopped, and turned, heading straight into his room. I followed him slowly, leaning against the door frame. I watched Dick uncomfortably as he practically went through Alfred's personal belongings.

"Isn't this invading Alfred's privacy?" I asked, watching as he turned his back to me, while he searched through Alfred's wooden closet. I breathed slowly, preparing myself to harden my voice. "Dick, let's _go_."

I watched his shoulders freeze, before he peeked over his shoulder to look at me. I shifted my legs, uncomfortable when anyone would stare at me. But not Dick. I stopped immediately, and looked him in the eyes, trying to be completely serious. He made it impossible to do, once I looked into his blue eyes. Suddenly, he started smirking, and he turned his whole body around this time, hiding his hands behind his back as he walked over to me. He smiled down at me, and I immediately hated that he was so much taller than me. I probably looked the most dumbfounded in less than 10 seconds. From staring at each other, to wearing a familiar hat. By human nature, I reached up and carefully felt the soft fabric of the hat.

"You look cute," Dick said, laughing at me. He wrapped an arm around my waist, spinning my around so that we walked out the door. He closed it quietly behind us, and I could only think, "_Somehow, you always know how to surprise me."_

* * *

**Gotham City, Gotham City Hall**

**November 26TH 6:00 p.m.**

**Dick's Pov**

We arrived just in time to make it to the stage of the Winter Festival where Bruce would give his speech. I was shivering; from excitement and knowing that Alexis was here with me this time. I held her hand in mine, warming both of them. I squeezed it, smiling at Alexis when she shivered.

"How are you not cold?" Alexis asked, turning her head to look up at me.

I shrugged. "I'm wearing my suit under this one." I snapped my head in Bruce's direction when he cleared his throat, catching all of Gotham's attention. I swayed our hands forward, pointing at Bruce. "Now it begins."

"Welcome everyone, to the annual Gotham City Winter Festival!" Bruce smiled, as an uproar came from the city of Gotham. There were news reporters around the front row of the stage we stood on, their microphones reaching as far as they could to Bruce. Huge black cameras dotted the around the front of the stage, capturing live footage. "Six years ago, I decided to change the annual date of this festival to the 26th of November. The reason, because the daughter of a friend of mine was born on this very day, so I thought that this would be a very special birthday present for her." He paused, letting out a breath that turned into white mist in front of him. "Unfortunately, we were only able to celebrate this day together once, after she fell into a coma on New Years Eve. Six years later, she stands on this stage with me and her fiancé, and my son, Richard, healthy and awake. Happy birthday, Alexis."

There was a enormous amount of cheering and clapping from the crowd, with the addition of a few wolf whistles and awes. I smiled at Bruce and Alfred, before flashing a big grin for the cameras. Alexis lifted up her left hand and had a small smile on her face, with the addition of flustered cheeks. In my mind, I could only think of how easily Bruce had told the world of our status from the topic of a festival to marriage. Then again, the news of our engagement had spread like wild-fire that night, since bystanders had taken out their phones and snapped a couple of pictures. _God, Bruce, I can't believe you just did that. The press is so going to be nosy again for the next few months. Hopefully we'll be in Savoth for a while._

We walked off the stage together, but not without Karie throwing her arms around us, laughing. The three of us followed Bruce and Alfred into the City Hall, where Alexis was dragged into the restroom by Karie. I walked over with Bruce and Alfred, leaving my leather jacket in the coat room. When we walked out, a waiter came up to me with a tray of fine drinks. I grabbed a glass of glass of the champagne, while asking the waiter for a glass of water. Alexis had a zero tolerance for alcohol, unlike me. The waiter quickly rushed to the kitchen and came back as quickly as he left with a glass of crystal-clear water.

"Thanks," I said, turning and taking a sip of my champagne. It was one of the finest, but the champagne down in the cellar at the manor was aged longer, therefore, the champagne I just drank could not even compare to it.

I turned, looking around for Alexis or Karie, to see if they had come out of the restroom yet. A loud cat whistle came from somewhere further down the main entrance hall of the City Hall, where there were stairs that lead to the second floor. Standing at the top of the stairs were Karie and Alexis, clad in high heels and long formal gowns. They were like day and night, with Karie's blond hair tied up, held together by what looked like red roses. Alexis on the other hand had her brown locks flowing over her right shoulder, where the hair on her left was clipped at the back of her head. There was a loose curl of hair on her left side, that ended around her chin. From where I stood, I could see that they were wearing make-up with their bolded, more lustrous eyes, and more defined lips.

I've seen a lot of dresses over the years, and I've always wondered why women made such a big deal over 'the perfect dress'. Now, looking at both Alexis and Karie, I understood the meaning of 'the perfect dress'. Karie wore a deep red, silk mermaid gown that showed off her curves, before parting unevenly, mid-way over her left thigh. It had a sweetheart neckline, with intricate embroidery under her bust as a waist band. At the top of her hips, a trail of snowflakes trailed down her dress along the part where her dress differed. Where the dress differed, there was a few layers of white lace under it that reached the floor. She really nailed the formal occasion and wintery look.

If Alexis was going to wear a wedding dress, then I could only wait until I was even more blown away. She also wore a silk, mermaid gown, that also parted unevenly over her left thigh, and had a sweet-heart neckline. The difference was that Alexis' dress was a champagne color, and it didn't have a waist band, or lace, or white or red in general. Instead, it was more flowing with all of its silk, and it had three silk roses that sat just at the top of the parting.

She looked over at Karie who was smiling. Karie caught Alexis' gaze and flashed some sort of look to Alexis. For a second Alexis looked confused, but her eyes found mine, and a full-blown smile spread across her face. They walked down the flight of stairs together, their steps in sync with one another's. When they stood on the floor, there were multiple flashes of cameras. Alexis slowly walked over to me, everyone making way for her. It was as if she were walking down an aisle, and it was just me standing at the end of it. Somehow, I knew that she would only look more beautiful in her wedding dress.

I placed the two glasses I held on to a nearby waitresses tray, before standing in front of Alexis, whose eyes seemed to shine as they looked at me. She let out a small laugh, and I knew what was coming later: "You didn't have to spend six hundred dollars for my birthday!" But for now, I just smirked at her. She rolled her eyes for a second, knowing what I was thinking.

I held out my right hand for her, leaning down to more of her increased three inches in height. "May I be honored with a dance?"

I heard Alexis let out a small giggle, before she slipped her hand into mine. "It would be my honor."

* * *

**Gotham City, Gotham City Hall**

**November 26TH 8:12 p.m.**

**Karie's Pov**

I smiled as I took a sip of the champagne that was being offered to every guest. Alexis had been so shocked when she saw what I had pulled out of 'Out of Order' stall. Two beautiful long gowns, but that wasn't what ad shocked her, what had shocked her was whom had bought the dress.

"He bought me _this_?" Alexis practically screamed. Thank goodness it was the second level restroom.

I brushed out the wrinkles of my dress as I answered, "Just another way of his to show how much he loves you."

I stood up when I heard Alexis laugh lightly. She was shaking her head as she stared at herself in the mirror. "All I need was a bouquet of flowers, or a special lunch. He always knows how to surprise me."

"So what are you going to get him then?" I asked, as I readjusted the roses that held up my hair.

"Well, after seeing Wally again, I was thinking that I could join our minds together, you know so Wally could say happy birthday," Alexis answered.

"If you really are, then be careful, because joining minds with someone a whole dimension away could over-exert your mind," I warned, slipping in my rose bud earrings. "I was thinking of doing the same for Artemis, but I wasn't sure about what would happen if I tried something like that with another person."

"Well, you'll never know if you don't try," Alexis sighed. She watched me as I finished putting on my earrings, and when I caught her eyes, I knew she had read me like an open book. "I can't believe I hadn't seen it before, Karie, I'm so sorry—"

I raised my hand, silencing her. "It's fine. They say that there's always that one person in the world waiting for you anyways, so let's see if he's somewhere down in that party we're missing right now."

It had come to me as a shock when everyone had stopped and stared at us, when we set foot at the top of the stairs. There were lustful men who were whistling and the more dignified were clapping. I caught Dick staring at us, two glasses in his hands. Multiple flashes of light blinded me for a few seconds when I realized that there were going to be reporters at the party as well. I decided to play the part, and flashed a big grin for them. Alexis looked confused, waiting for me to help. I looked from her to Dick, trying to get her to find him. When she did a loving smile spread across her face. Just like it had on Dick's face when Alexis had remembered who we were.

We walked down the stairs together, Alexis continuing forward to Dick, while I stood at the base of the steps with Bruce suddenly beside me. We watched them, and I suddenly realized that Alexis had a faint scar that ran diagonally on her left shoulder-blade. _Back when the Joker had decided to kill her._ He had missed her heart by a good five inches, but had hit a major artery, and she was bed-ridden for a week or so.

As they danced together, I realized that I had finished my drink. Without missing a beat, a waiter came up to me, offering me another glass. When I turned to him, I was struck with deja-vu. It was Shane, no, this man looked more matured than him. Realisation dawned on me, and I placed my glass on his tray.

"It's been a long time, Dale," I said, smiling. I haven't seen him since high school. All I've heard about him and his brother was that Shane was trying to make it into the football leagues, and that Dale was still studying in Gotham.

"Karie, right?" Dale asks, handing me another glass of champagne. "I haven't seen you since high school. Oh, and congrats to your sister over there." He shook his head at Dick and Alexis who were dancing closely with each other. "So what are you doing these days?"

"I go to school in New York, and you?" I answered, before asking him the same.

"I go to school at the University of Gotham, but right now I'm just trying to get as much money as I can," he answered quickly.

"Why do you need the money?" I asked out of curiosity. It came to a shock to me when he told me that Shane had gotten a serious back injury, and his parents weren't making enough. "I never would've expected him to be knocked down so bad, I mean considering he was able to get back up after what you did to him on that day."

Dale let out a laugh as he recalled the memory. "Well, Shane is pretty stubborn, so I hope he'll hold out long enough for us to get enough money for the surgery and the treatment."

"Well, I'm pretty sure he'd be up for more than enough time," I said, smiling. "Good luck, Dale."

"Thanks," he said as he turned to give more guests some drinks. He was bustling around everyone, while trying not to spill or drop any of the champagne.

I laughed to myself as I followed him, tapping on his shoulder. He turned around, immediately holding out the tray of champagne. He was out of breath, but the corners of his lips curved upwards.

"What happened to the boy band dream?" I asked him. Back in high school Dale and his group of friends had formed a boy band, and had performed at any school showcase. They even performed on their graduation day (so I've been told) and even performed at mine a year later. They had been a popular group, especially with the girls at the academy.

Dale just laughed and shook his head, like it was a silly question. "The band broke up, so I've been attending classes to become a professional musician at the U of Gotham."

"Funny, because I'm taking courses to become a musician too," I said, laughing at the irony. "In New York of course."

"We should perform together sometime, I also work at a café in Blüdhaven, live music and all," Dale suggested. A guest walked beside us, plucking a glass from Dale's tray, before walking away with his partner.

"If our schedules can make it," I answered, turning to leave back to his work. I stood beside Alfred who held an amused look on his face. "Something amusing?"

"You seem to be acquainted with the new waiter, Mistress Karie," Alfred said, his eyes watching the scurrying Dale. "Mister Breeze, I believe."

"We went to the academy, he was a year older," I answered. Knowing where this was going. I had went through four months of Alfred watching the growing love of my sister and Dick, so I would know when Alfred plays embarrassing Mister Know-It-All. "That's all."

"Of course, Mistress Karie, I never said anything else," Alfred said, a hint of teasing in his voice.

* * *

**Gotham City, Gotham City Hall**

**November 26TH**

**Alexis' Pov**

"The dress really suits you," Dick said. We were dancing slowly together, my head resting over his shoulder. "I knew that you'd look beautiful in it."

I smiled, heat coursing through my cheeks. "So I don't look beautiful if I'm not wearing a dress?"

Dick laughed at my question, and I listened to the vibrations of his laugh. "Are you being sarcastic, or are you actually serious?"

"I'm serious, so answer my question!" I laughed, wondering why he would've thought I was joking.

"Your dense mind never fails to amuse me, you know that?" Dick asked. His voice grew quiet as he whispered, "You look beautiful no matter what you wear, including pajamas."

I laughed, realizing he had told me the same thing earlier on today. Thank goodness he couldn't see my face, because I was probably red from embarrassment. "Thank you for the beautiful birthday present, Dick."

I felt Dick pull me closer to him, and warmth spread through me. I felt his right hand gently skim over my scar. The scar I received for trying to save Dick from the Joker. I had barely even known him then, but I was driven to protect him, it was just who I was. Now it meant even more to me to try my best to protect him.

"I should be the one thanking you, I don't think I ever did for that day," Dick spoke softly. "Thank you, for risking your life for me. Just don't ever do that again."

"I make no guarantees," I said. We swayed from side to side, and I was glad because I was definitely going to step on his feet more than once. "I'd always put your life before mine."

"And you know I'd do the same," Dick said, his right hand resting over my scar. "I promise."

I smiled softly, knowing how serious he was. "I promise, too."

I heard Dick scoff as he lifted his head off my shoulder, resting it against my forehead. "Let's talk about a happier topic." He kissed me, just gently pressing against my lips. We parted quickly for air, but before we continued, Dick said in a hushed voice, "La mulți ani, Alexis."

* * *

**I threw in some Romanian, just because Dick is awesome. Did anyone see Dale coming? I didn't either until I started thinking about what happened to the brothers. Besides, I always thought that he was nicer guy than Shane. Of course I was planning on having a different male character be introduced, but I'm still deciding between OC, a new OC, or a character from the DC Universe.**

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	4. The Woman I Love

**Sorry for practically disappearing for over a month now, I've been really busy and haven't gotten around typing up this chapter, not to mention lacked inspiration to write it. Inspired by the song The Woman I Love by Jason Mraz. Best to listen to the song after reading this chapter.**

* * *

**J.L.A Watchtower**

**December 1ST 10:14 p.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

I sat in the debriefing room beside Nightwing, and together we sat across the very first Flash, Jay Garrick. He had his arms over the table top, and he leaned forward, sighing. "So what is this about, Batman? Why suddenly ask for me to come to the Watchtower?"

Batman nodded for me to explain. I made sure that he had his full attention on me before I spoke, "Because you can help us bring Wally back."

Pure shock and surprise was instilled into his expression. "He's alive, but how—?"

Batman decided to take control of the explaining from there. He pressed a few keys on his computer glove, a few images of what was supposed to the Speed Force effect appearing before us. "The chrysalis that almost enveloped Earth four months ago used Wally as an exit when Barry, Bart and Wally tried to reverse the chrysalis. Instead of just acting as an exit, it sent Wally through the Speed force, where he ended up on Savoth."

Immediately, Jay's face turned to one of deep understanding. Suddenly, he slammed a fist on the table. "Why didn't I think of that before? Of course it was the Speed Force! Now you want to use the Speed Force fragment I have to bring him back right?"

"It's a more complicated than that," Nightwing said, beginning to press away over his own computer glove. One of the screens enlarged, allowing us a full view of the image it framed: Savoth. "You were accidentally sent there just like Wally, and since history seems to repeat itself, now Wally is stuck there to help fight their war."

"Against who? Is it those invaders again?" Jay asked, his eyes never leaving the image of Savoth. It was an image that had a clear view of the lake and mountains I had seen, and the strange circle I stood on had an arch over it with the Flash emblem in the center.

"The Reach," I said. I began to explain how my psychic powers along with Karie's, can basically physically stand and roam the planet. He was surprised to hear at first, but when I had told him about the trade of the fragment, and how the Reach has the city of Savoth hostage. "The only ones to escape were S'kidd Flash, and Wally."

Batman, Nightwing and I began to listen carefully, as Garrick began to mutter to himself. "Another invasion? The Reach? Another fragment, ugh, Gorflack how could you?!"

"Gorflack?" Nightwing and I piped up simultaneously. I couldn't help but crack a small, one-sided smile.

"He was the one who had given me the Speed Force fragment; he created it," Jay answered, calming down. He buried his head in his hands, but it was an improvement. "He was a scientist who study the Speed Force and genetic engineering on Savoth."

"And now he's one of the hostages of the Reach," I sighed. If they knew of his position and his knowledge, then they could use him against his own will. "We're not sure why the Reach want a the fragment so much, but after what happened to Earth, we all know that it will only lead to world domination and destruction."

"With the fragment that you currently have a hold of, I plan on building a zeta-tube that could safely transport us there and back," Batman started, minimizing the image of Savoth, and enlarging another model of a Speed Force-powered zeta-tube.

"But if you make a zeta-tube, then you'll automatically be transported to that arch right there," Garrick said, zooming beside Batman to tap the image of Savoth. "If you zeta there at the wrong time, you might get caught by the Reach."

"That's why Scarlet Tanager is going to psychically join all of our minds so that I can explain to Wally how all of this is going to work," Batman responded. He gave me a short nod, but I was already joining all of their minds with mine, including Wally's. His presence seemed so clear now that I knew he was alive.

There we were, suddenly warped into my mind. Jay looked around at the white walls, gold frames with moving memories, and the high chandelier. I sucked in a breath of air, counting the number of body signatures around me. One, two, three... and four. I smiled, opening my eyes when I heard Nightwing speak up first.

"It's been a long time, huh Wall-Man?" Nightwing laughed. Looking up at him, I could see just how happy he was, seeing his best friend right in front of him. I could even imagine his misty-blue eyes behind that domino mask just shining with happiness. Wally was equally ecstatic.

"Nightwing, man it's been a long time alright!" Wally exclaimed as he and Nightwing shared a bear hug, before taking each other in. Wally's expression suddenly dawned into realization. "Oh, happy birthday man!"

I laughed, breaking the little bromance moment. "I'm glad you two could see each other again, but I can't keep this up for long."

Next, it was Jay's turn to be starstruck. Maybe Batman was a little starstruck too, but he knew how to hide his emotions. "Wally, it really is you isn't it?"

Wally grinned upon noticing Jay. "Looks like déjà vu, huh Jay? Now it's my turn to lead Savoth to victory."

Jay tackled Wally with a big old hug, and Nightwing and I smiled. Nothing like a grandfather and grandson moment after a best pal one, now all that's left is the girl he left behind. I can't wait to see how that'll turn out.

"Scarlet Tanager, if you could." Batman beckoned to one of the many gold frames hung horizontally along the walls. I quickly strided over to Batman's side, conveying the memory of the Speed Force-powered zeta-tube. "Wally, Jay, I apologize for cutting your reunion short, but Scarlet Tanager won't last any longer."

"I'm fine," I retorted quickly, and firmly, trying to prove Batman wrong. The look he gave me told me that he knew that we both knew better, but I'd make the effort to hold this connection for as long as possible. Nightwing came up beside me, indiscreetly grabbing my right hand. I smiled up at him, even though my mask covered it, but he smirked knowingly. I traced the ring underneath my suit with my thumb, realizing how close our big day really was.

I knew that Batman had seen my small action, knowing exactly what I was thinking. His pause to observe me was short, and he continued on with our mission, "This zeta-tube I'm building will automatically transport us to this arch, so you and S'kidd Flash will need to be ready to meet us there, and get us out. Scarlet Tanager will be the first to arrive along with Kitsune and Miss Martian because of their telekinesis. If by chance the Reach catch us when we are arriving here, they will create distractions and clear their mind of everything that has happened within the last two minutes. We are also going to need a timed schedule for when the soldiers make their daily walk past the arch."

"S'kidd and I will get a schedule within two to three days," Wally said, scratching the back of his head in thought. "How long is it going to take for you guys to finish the zeta-tube?"

"Two to three days times is long enough," Batman answered. "Once we get back to Earth, I'm going to go with Jay to retrieve his Speed Force fragment. Nightwing, Scarlet Tanager, I want you two to go to this empty room in the Watchtower, and begin to piece together the zeta-tube."

"Anything else?" Garrick asked, looking around from person to person.

Batman looked at me, signaling me to sever the connection. I nodded, looking at Wally one last time. He nodded confidently, a small smile etched on his face. With his confirmation, I finally broke off our connection to his.

* * *

**California, Palo Alto**

**December 1ST 12:04 p.m.**

**Artemis' Pov**

Karie and I sat down outside of a small restaurant, taking our orders of hot chocolate and peach cobbler pie slices. I pulled my green coat around me, noting the slight chill of fall. Karie pulled something out of her coat, looking down at it, before up at me. The look in her eyes was a happy one, but there was a slight sadness about them.

"Read it," she said, sliding the envelope over the small counter top. I picked it up, flipping it over for a name. There was none. When I looked at Karie for an answer, she only said, "I think you'll know after you've read it."

I opened it cautiously, not knowing what to expect from this strange letter. _Who writes a letter any more?_ The letter was wrinkled, like the person who wrote it was having a tough time getting the words on to the paper, but the writing seemed all too familiar. _It couldn't be..._

_Hey babe, sorry to hear that you were crying on my birthday, I can't blame you though. If I knew you were gone and it was your birthday, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. Stop crying for me, 'kay? Anyways, I'm alive and I'm okay, just stuck on a different planet called Savoth. Get this: the Reach are trying to take over this place for some Speed Force fragment, and this thing could bring me back home. It could bring me back home to you. Only problem is, only a guy named Gorflack knows where it is, but if I tried anything, then the Savothians are doomed. _

_Did I ever tell you the story about Jay? He came to Savoth by accident because of Gorflack, and helped lead his people to victory when their planet was invaded by alien intruders. Ever since, the people here idolize anyone with a lightning bolt on their chest. Guess people just can't get enough of the Wall-Man... I've already talked to Karie, and she said that she would tell you and Batman about my case. I guess you were right, huh? 'There's always going to be another world to save' remember, back in Paris? Aw, we so have to go back there sometime once I get back. I'm doing everything I can to save these people, and to get back to you, so I just want you to know that I love you, and I'm always thinking of you. Always, Artemis. And I hope you've never stopped rooting for me either. - Love, Baywatch_

A choked sob escaped when I finished reading the letter. A tear fell on to it, and I quickly wiped my tears away so that it wouldn't ruin the letter. _Stupid Wally, always making me worry like that. Then again, I did the same when I went undercover. _

"Napkin?" Karie offered me a white napkin from the dispenser on the table. I nodded a thanks, taking the napkin and wiping away my tears furiously. Karie scoffed, "He sure has a way with words I'm guessing?"

"This is the most sweetest thing he's ever written," I said, shaking my head. I sniffled, watching the waitress place our mugs of hot chocolate, and plates of pie in front of us. "Thank you."

"Thanks," Karie said, picking up her fork and breaking off a piece of her pie. She ate happily, swallowing before she continued to speak. "Batman is planning on building a zeta-tube to Savoth powered by a Speed Force fragment that Jay Garrick has. I already know that you're definitely on the team to go there first."

"Partners are meant to be there for each other. I guess it's time for Artemis and Kid Flash to help save another world," I smiled happily. 'Artemis was Wally's partner' I had told Bart. _And she'll always be his partner._ "How did you even know?"

Karie sighed, looking tired, and taking a sip of her hot chocolate. I wrapped my cold hands around my mug, savoring the warmth. "That night, when I was over at your place on Wally's birthday. I fell asleep on your sofa thinking about how sad you were, and that led to Wally. I guess, I wanted to find him so you could be happy again. I Soul-Cloned in the middle of my sleep, and there I was; Savoth, with Reach soldiers patrolling every part of the planet. If it weren't for my powers, I would've never heard S'kidd tell me to hide."

"S'kidd?" I asked, my eyebrows raising.

"One of the citizens of Savoth," I answered, finishing my pie. "He was created to be the Flash's sidekick. That's why his name is S'kidd Flash."

"Why didn't you tell me when you woke up that day?" I asked, the sound of betrayal just evident in my voice.

"I'm sorry, Artemis, but it wasn't the right time too," I said, looking down into my now empty mug of what once was hot chocolate. "Wally needed time to figure out what to say to you, but after Alexis found her way there, I think he finally knew. I found him because I wanted you to be happy again, and Alexis wanted Dick to be the same."

"...Did you or Alexis tell Wally about the wedding?" I asked, after I quickly downed the rest of my pie with the rest of my hot chocolate.

"I think they're planning on telling him after we save Savoth," I answered honestly. "A guy like Wally can only take so much at a time."

We shared a laugh, a real laugh, one we haven't had in a long time. I savored this moment of peace, happiness and worry-free. After all, we might not have something like this once Batman is finished building the zeta-tube.

* * *

**Gotham City, Wayne Manor**

**December 1ST 11:58 p.m.**

**Dick's Pov**

I lied on my bed, with my hands behind my head. Alexis was lying beside me, her head resting on my chest. Today had been a long day for the both of us; mentally and physically excruciating. Batman was still up at the Watchtower finishing the new zeta-tube to Savoth, having told the rest of the team and the League to go home. That was one thing I never understood about him; how his determination could stay so strong in the worst situations. But it was one of the many lessons he's taught me: In a do or die situation, try to do the best to your ability to change the outcome, and if all else fails, you die trying. Being the impatient nine-year-old I was then, I didn't understand.

I glanced down at Alexis, and smiled when I noticed she had tilted her ear to listen to the steady rhythm of my heart. Ever since the fail safe training exercise, and watching Alexis go out with a smile, the lesson became as clear as day. I had known that even if we tried to stop the mother board from blowing, we were going to be taken out, one by one. Alexis hadn't known, she hadn't been trained long enough, but she had understood that lesson since day one.

"Do you want to talk to Wally?" Alexis suddenly asks. Her head is tilted upwards so she can see me.

"He's probably sleeping after Bats gave him such a long to-do list," I said, smiling. Batman had gone all out with the explanation, making sure that Wally understood what he and S'kidd were suppose to do.

"True," Alexis laughed. "Now that I think about it, could the city detect any Speed Force activity, or zeta-tube?"

"Bats' already thought the whole thing through, even though Garrick had told him how advanced they are with technology. If anything, he tried to hide the transmission," I answered, knowing that Batman wouldn't over look something like that.

"Is the whole team going to come to Savoth?" Alexis asked, her eyes wandering to the ceiling of my room. "I'm just not sure if we could stay undetected with so many people in the bunker."

"Aqualad, Batgirl and I get a say in who's coming, but Batman will have his own," I answered, sliding my hand over her arm.

"From now on, until tomorrow, we're going to stop talking about depressing and serious topics like these." Alexis jumped off the bed, easily striding over to my balcony doors. She slid the curtains to the side, revealing almost three-feet of snow packed on the balcony behind the doors. She opened the two doors, scooping up some of the snow into her hands.

"Alexis?" I slid off my bed, walking over to my coat stand and grabbing my robe. I turned and said, "You're going to catch a—"

I ducked, hearing the snow hit the wall behind me and fall to the ground. I quickly snuck a look at the ball of melting snow that sat slumped against the floor. Turning to look at Alexis, I saw that she was frowning, but had already grabbed more snow, and was balling it up in her numbing red hands. I dropped the robe, walking closer to Alexis.

"So I'm guessing you'd rather build a few more twelve-foot snowmen?" she asked, looking straight into my eyes. I saw how serious she was, and I smiled inwardly; she always looked cute when she was dense.

"Not exactly," I smirked, quickly stealing her finished snowball out of her hands and slipping it down her back. She let out an ear-piercing shriek, before slapping one hand over her mouth, and one up her shirt to rid it of the melting snow. I laughed as she shook from the chilling snow that was sliding down her back. When she finally managed to remove the snowball from her shirt, she glared at me, but she was smiling playfully. "A kiss for every hit."

I shut the balcony doors, and when I was hoping to catch her by surprise again, she surprised me by quickly pressing her lips against mine. She never made such blunt advances, usually because she was too timid, or because she was more patient in that way. That's also why she's so patient when it comes to explanations to sink into her dense and stubborn mind. Other than thinking about that, all I could think as we stood there was, _"Forever. She's going to be mine forever."_

* * *

**Finally finished this chapter! I've been so occupied lately, I haven't gotten time to actually sit down and finishing typing this. I hope you enjoyed it!**

**If anyone didn't understand the title of this chapter, it's because both Wally and Dick are thinking about the woman they love. Wally with his letter to Artemis, and Dick thinking about tying the knot with Alexis in the future, and spending the rest of his life with her.**

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	5. Complete

**Gotham City, Bat Cave**

**December 2ND 11:59 p.m.**

**Dick's Pov**

"Tomorrow morning the team will be leaving for Savoth, with the exception of Blue Beetle, Kid Flash, and Static Shock."

Batman had finally finished the zeta-tube, and I had just finished setting up the communication here in the Bat Cave and at home base. I was testing it out, and it worked out just as I had hoped.

"Why aren't those three coming?" Wally asked, slumping in his chair, before brushing a few crumbs off of his suit.

I sighed. "Static is still a rookie, and isn't capable of taking part of such a mission, Batman doesn't want to risk the Reach tracking down Blue's scarab, and Kid Flash..."

Wally shifted in his chair, sitting up now, with his expression completely serious. "Dick, why can't Bart go?"

I slumped into Batman's chair, my arms resting on the arm rests. "Jay told Batman and I about Black Flash, and how he appears when speedsters travel through the Speed Force. He chases after them, and when he does you return to the Speed Force, the source of your power."

I sat silently, staring and waiting for Wally's reply. All he says is, "I know you Dick, and I know that you always twist the truth and a big fat piece of baloney is the end product."

Wally got me there, he was probably the only one who's ever noticed. Alexis on the other hand could always seem to tell if I was lying or not. I let a small smirk cross my face. "I can't lie to you huh, Wally?"

Wally grinned proudly. "I'm probably one of the few people who could tell the first Boy Wonder to tell me the truth, you know excluding Alexis, and maybe even Batman."

"And he's right again," I smiled, a small breath of air escaping me. A frown soon replaced my smile, thinking about what Jay had really said. "The Black Flash does chase you and all, but if you're caught, returning to the Speed Force results in death."

Wally was silent, his victorious smile quickly wiped off his face. "I get it. Then what happens when I come back? It's not like Batman could've built something to protect me for something like this."

Three consecutive wins for Wally, and I don't even want to continue talking about this. I change the subject into something more personal. "Artemis is coming too, you know?"

There was this excitement I caught in Wally's eyes once I had told him. I began to wonder if that was how I looked when I see Alexis, but Wally's voice quickly shoved the thought out of the window.

"I knew she would," Wally smirked. "Then again, she was always too stubborn anyways."

"That's exactly why I needed to talk to you. Alexis is going to be part of Alpha squad, but even after that, I'm worried she'll get caught in the middle of disaster," I told Wally. "She has a tendency to find bad luck, or bad luck finds her. Either way, I need you to be there to look out for her when I can't."

"Dude, don't worry, Alexis might be dense, but it's not like she's _that _dense." Wally pointed out.

"We'll see about that," I murmured, my fingers curling around the arm rests. The engagement ring on my left hand dug into my finger, and I quickly brought both of my hand in front of me, twirling the ring in hopes of loosening it.

"Dude, I didn't know you wore rings—no." Wally's face froze, before a sneaky smirk spread across his face. He pointed a finger down at his leg. "Spill."

I couldn't believe I'd slipped. I was supposed to keep from telling Wally about it all, and a simple twirl of the ring and he found out. Guess I really can't hide everything from Wally. "About a month after you-know-what happened, I realized that I couldn't live without Alexis for any amount of time. She was there for me the whole time when I was grieving. If she wasn't, no one would've even tried to get close. I knew she was coping too, but she was comforting me the whole time." I scoffed, thinking about how selfless Alexis can be. "One of the many things that I love about her."

Wally smiled. "Okay, now the proposal." He leaned forward a bit. "Where did you take her, and how did you ask her?"

I carefully examined my best pal, noting how he was eagerly waiting for me to talk, like he was jotting notes for an important assignment. I smirked once I finished putting the puzzle together. "You're going to propose to Artemis."

Wally's face froze, and reddened into a cherry color. He smiled quickly, a hand now behind his neck. "Yeah, I was planning to, you know after all of this. Finishing school, settling down again, eating Chicken Whizee's during movie nights..."

"Wally will you be my best man?" I had realized what I had said, after I had said it. The question had been eating at me ever since Alexis and I had started planning for the wedding, and to finally be able to ask my best friend felt like one less thing to worry about.

Wally's smiling face turned into a full-blown grin. "Dick, of course I'd be your best man! You know, as long as you're mine at my wedding."

"It's a deal then," I smiled. "We'll be each others best man on our wedding day."

That is how Wally and I ended up having a manly talk about marriage and our possible future after it. The most memorable topic; baby names, and the usual boy-girl preference. I don't really care for the gender, I'd love him or her all the same. As for the baby names, Mary and John were my picks for middle names, in memory of my mom and dad. I wonder what Alexis would say if I asked her about all of this?

* * *

**J.L.A Watchtower**

**December 3RD 6:10 a.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

"Kitsune will lead Scarlet Tanager and Miss Martian who are Alpha squad. Once you three arrive in Savoth, contact Wally, and help guide the rest of the squads to his bunker."

I stood before the newly built zeta-tube Batman had been working on non-stop with Miss M and Kitsune. We were finally going to Savoth to help Wally, and I couldn't help but feel like this war also rides on my shoulders too. I bet everyone feels like that right now, but if we saved the Earth from the Reach once before, then we'll definitely be able to do it again.

"Before I address the rest of the squads, I will say that any and all members of the League will not be going to Savoth, and will stay here on Earth, so that a media outbreak will not occur, and to keep an eye on the team from the Watchtower," Batman spoke fluently. "Nightwing, Artemis, and Wolf, you're Beta. Aqualad, Batgirl and Superboy, you're Gamma. Robin, Bumblebee, and Lagoon Boy, you are Delta. Guardian, you and Wonder Girl and Beast Boy are Epsilon. Once I receive contact from Wally, the next squad will zeta to Savoth."

I looked at the team that stood before me, and the members of the League that stood beside them. The League was quiet, and so was the team, but when I saw Static Shock and Kid Flash glance around at everyone, I had only then realized that Batman had excluded three people: Kid Flash, Static Shock, and Blue.

"Um, Batman, what about us?" Kid Flash asked, when the team broke up into their squads.

"You three are not permitted to go to Savoth for certain reasons, and will remain on Earth," Batman answered simply.

"Why is that?" Static asked, tilting his head to his left.

"You three will be staying on Earth to prevent any media outbreaks like the League."Batman's eyes narrowed, slightly upset with the time delay. "Everyone one will leave in ten minute intervals. Nightwing, Aqualad, Batgirl and Kitsune are going to be the leaders of this mission. Report back to the Watchtower once everyone has made it safely to the bunker."

Nightwing's head moved, just enough for me to see. He stared at me with his bold domino mask. I didn't understand until I realized he was trying to tell me something. I linked with him, making sure that no one could interfere the connection. _"Something wrong?"_

_"I thought you said that you were never going to go anywhere without me?" _he asked, his tone joking, but I had caught the seriousness of the question.

I smiled under my mask. _"It's only for a few minutes, besides, what could go wrong?"_

Nightwing's straight face, darkened at my question. _"Be careful, okay? You always wind up in some serious trouble."_

_"I know, and I will,"_ I thought softly. _"Promise__."_

"Scarlet, let's go," Miss Martian called, beckoning towards the starting zeta-tube. Batman stood ready by the control panel, and the rest of the League began to move over to the holographic screen where they could talk to us. Just yesterday, Kitsune and I had finished helping Wally setting up a special link from his lab down in the bunker. Batman was testing it back at the Bat Cave, before setting it up at the Watchtower, so we know it works.

I shrugged the bag higher up on my shoulder, filled with extra weapons, an extra uniform and civvies, a Glamour Charm, essentials like food and water, etc. I turned, giving one last look to Nightwing. I knew the three of us were all thinking the same thing; we're bringing him home. And I knew because when we all gave each other that one last look, we all just knew that our journey to Savoth had more purpose than anyone could understand.

* * *

**Savoth**

**December 3RD 6:20 a.m.**

**Kitsune's Pov**

We were transported under the lightning bolt arch, just like we were supposed to. _"Everyone linked up?"_

_"Scarlet Tanager ready," _S.T responded.

_"Miss Martian, ready as well," _Miss M answered.

_"Alright, Miss M, go into camouflage mode, and distract the guards if they're in the way. The vegetation over there is thick enough to provide us cover, once the first set of guards walk by, we'll contact Wally for transmission._ _Once a squad is safely hidden in the foliage, tanager will lead them to the bunker. __Go," _I said, the three of us quickly dispersing into the foliage; Miss Martian kneeling invisibly behind the bushes, while Tanager and I made for the tree tops.

S.T. and I quickly jumped into the forest, just as the guards neared. I turned and waited in the bushes, cocking my head one way or another. Tanager was doing the same, except she was using her heat-sensing powers to find them.

_"Here they come," _I thought. I sucked in my breath, making myself as silent as possible. I could hear Miss M's cape flutter beside me as she hovered transparent in the overgrowth. The guards walked past us without any signs of acknowledgement.

_"I'll connect Kid to our link," _Miss M stated. _"Kid Flash, can you hear me?"_

_"Miss M? Man, it's been a long time, it's great to hear you—"_

_"Kid, not the time for happy reunions and greetings, we'll have those after all the squads reach the bunker."_ My voice came out more cold and serious than I expected, but that's because Batman had taken me out for patrol more often than Robin. Well, that was until Dick chose to become Nightwing, and Bruce adopted Jason. Barbara was spending more time with the team, honing her leadership skills, whilst Bruce and I were teaching Jason. He was honing me to the best of his ability; he was making sure I wasn't as naïve as Alexis was. He didn't really have to though, growing up the way I did, you couldn't afford to be naïve in Gotham.

_"Kid, hurry and report back to the Watchtower!" _Tanager exclaimed, her voice serious and slightly annoyed.

_"R-right, I'm on it!"_ Kid said, laughing nervously. I scoffed to myself. Guess Kid won't ever try to get Alexis mad ever again. I smirked at the thought as I waited for the next squad.

* * *

**J.L.A Watch Tower**

**December 3RD 6:30 a.m.**

**Artemis' Pov**

I stood anxiously before the zeta-tube with Nightwing and Wolf. It's been 10 minutes, so where was the report back? I placed my hands on my hips, pacing in front of the zeta-tube now. _Hurry up, Alpha squad! We're wasting time, while Wally—_"This is Wally West reporting from Savoth." Everyone turned to look at the large screen in the center of the room. There he was, Wally, still in his uniform, with his mask off. I smiled, taking in Wally's soothing voice, green eyes, and untamable red hair. "Alpha squad has successfully arrived in Savoth, and have evaded the passing Reach guards. They are ready to distract the next waves of Reach guards if necessary. Awaiting Beta squad."

Batman turned and nodded at Nightwing, Wolf and me, the three of us not hesitating for a moment as we walked through the zeta-tube. I wrapped a hand around my bag, thinking about the letter Wally had written to me. I was packing yesterday for today's mission, and I just couldn't leave without that letter.

_I made sure I had civvies, an extra uniform, extra arrows and bows, Glamour Charm, food and water, and that was all I needed. After all, Aqualad had told everyone to pack light. I had already finished packing Wally's bag before mine, stuffing it with everything in our fridge, some civvies, and an extra uniform._

_Walking out into our living room, I called for our white pit bull. "Come here boy!" He jumped off the couch, and jumped up on his hind legs, wanting my affection. I laughed, and got his leash around him, before scratching behind his ear. "You're going to be staying up at the Watchtower, okay? I'm going to be gone for a while, but when I come back, I'll make sure to bring Wally back. Then the two of you can go back to fighting over food."_

_He barked, hopefully understanding what I meant. The two of us walked out of our home, and headed for the closest zeta-tube. Making sure that he had everything he needed, and that for this one night, Wolf stays quiet like he usually does, I got back home, and noticed Wally's letter lying on our dining table. I held it in my hands, staring down the blank face of the envelope. I slid it into my bag, between my clothes and my uniform only thinking, "Wally's going to get a very interesting talk."_

Just as I was about to walk through the zeta-tube, I turned around searching for Bart. It was easy to spot his unruly red hair. "Hey Bart, I brought my dog up on the Watchtower, and was wondering if you could take care of it!"

Without even waiting for his answer, I walked into the zeta-tube with a smirk. What I had said had been more of a statement, than a question. Guess Bart can say no now though, right?

* * *

**Savoth**

**December 3RD 6:33 a.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

_"They're here," _Kitsune and I said simultaneously. We nodded at each other, whilst Miss Martian flew over to the center of the arch. I sensed her placing a hand on Wolf, who sniffed around curiously. _"Is everyone linked up?"_

_"Yeah, but where are you guys?" _Artemis asked, looking as clueless as the rest of her squad.

_"Miss Martian is right beside Wolf,"_ I alerted them. Nightwing and Artemis stared over at Wolf, but didn't see anything. _"Miss Martian will lead Wolf over here and—" _I looked over at Kitsune who had made a click-click noise with her tongue. In an instant, Wolf had silently and swiftly made it through the vegetation, and now stared up at Kitsune and I. _"Or you could just follow Wolf."_

Just as I finished talking, Kitsune, Wolf and I snapped our heads to our left, sensing/hearing the next wave of guards. Kitsune was the first to speak, _"I have a plan. I'll distract them, Miss Martian, prepare to erase their memories of the past five minutes. Tanager will lead you guys to the bunker. Execute."_

I jumped down from the tree branch, and stuck my head through the overgrowth. _"Over here, come on, we don't have any time to waste."_

Nightwing and Artemis, quickly ran over to the forest, jumping through the bushes and leaves. I looked at all of them, before running off in the direction of Wally and S'kidd. I was now on high alert, searching for every source of heat, and making sure that it wasn't a Reach soldiers. We tore through the forest, leaving our tracks out in the open. I'll come back with Wolf and Beast Boy later to cover them up. I felt a sigh escape me when I saw the familiar tree off to the right of the mountain side. I pulled on the branch like S'kidd had done last week. The mountain side opened up, and I quickly ushered them into it.

Leading them down the stairs I said, "Think of this place as Mount Justice II." I walked straight over to the lab, heading straight for the computer.

"Wally!" Artemis exclaimed. I didn't have to turn around to know that they had embraced each other in a big bear hug, and to know that both of their hearts were pumping like crazy. I smiled to myself, thinking back to the wish Karie and I had made six years ago. We had both wished to protect people and make them happy.

_"Scarlet to Kitsune, Beta squad has successfully made it to the bunker,"_ I reported back to Kitsune. _"Reporting back to the Watch."_

_"Reach guards unaware of our presence. Awaiting Gamma squad," _Kitsune said, and somehow, I just knew that she was smirking. Either because she knew Artemis and Wally were embracing right now, or because something had happened when she was distracting the guards. _"Tanager, we'll need your help back at the arch, so from now on, you'll be guiding each squad to the bunker."_

_"Understood, I'm on my way."_ I turned to look at Artemis and Wally, and my heart warmed. They were still embracing each other, neither wanting to let go. Even without my powers, I could tell that Artemis was crying, or at least on the verge of doing so. I cleared my throat, regretfully interrupting their heart-felt moment. "Wally, if you would report back to the Watch, I have to go back for the other squad."

Wally pulled away from Artemis, looking down at her, before giving me a nod. I nodded back, before rushing out the door. That is, until Nightwing grabbed my hand halfway to it. He sent me a smirk, and I knew what he meant immediately. The two of us raced out the bunker, sprinting back to the arch.

_"Change of plans Kitsune and Miss M, I'll bring the squads back to the bunker," _Nightwing said as we ran side by side. _"S.T. is better for distracting the Reach guards, so I'll be the water boy for this team. Don't get me wrong though, this might be a once in a life time thing."_

_"You mean a once in a mission thing?"_ Miss Martian laughed. _"I think Kitsune will make you the personal errand boy for future missions."_

_"Alright, I think we should get back to the mission," _Kitsune said. Nightwing shot me a one-sided smile, knowing very well that Kitsune was amused by our conversation. _"Boy Wonder, this is all on you now."_

_"Whatever you say, Kit,"_ Nightwing laughed. I smiled to myself as well, knowing Kitsune hated nicknames as much as I did, possibly even more than me.

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 3RD 7:02 a.m.**

**Wally's Pov**

We were all sitting in the debriefing room S'kidd and I had cleaned up for the mission. I sat beside Artemis, and had entwined our fingers together underneath the table. She sent me a small smile, before turning back to the debriefing. Aqualad, Nightwing, Kitsune and Batgirl stood in the front, talking about our opponents, what could cause us trouble as we tried to take the Reach down, the advantages we do have, or we could have, and how we're going to take down the Reach.

"Batgirl and I have already talked to Batman about asking the Green Lantern Corps to come and arrest the Reach leaders," Aqualad said. "We are still waiting to hear from them, as we all know, if the Reach were invited to the planet, then the Guardians of the Universe can do nothing to help us."

"But if we can find evidence that proves the Reach invaded Savoth, then we can show it to the Guardians of the Universe, and have them removed and arrested from the planet," Batgirl added. "From what we have heard from S'kidd, the Reach had done exactly what they had done to us, with the Reach ships at the bottom of the lake behind the arch we came from earlier."

"So just like us, we have to get the evidence that the Reach did invade Savoth, and used force to conquer the planet," Kitsune said. She held up her Glamour Charm. "We'll use these Glamour Charms to disguise ourselves as Savothians; they are capable of holographic recording as well. Everyone should have one just in case, but not all of us we'll be going undercover. Only a squad of us will."

"We'll talk more tomorrow after we hear back from the Watch about the Green Lantern Corps, for now everyone should get settled in. Once you're settled, head over to the cafeteria for some breakfast, and we'll go out for some recon afterwards," Nightwing instructed. He held a hand towards the door. "S'kidd, if you would show everyone their rooms."

"Oh, uh, yeah, of course," S'kidd said. He raced to the door, stopping just as it opened. "Follow me everyone, I'll give you a tour of this place. By the end of the tour, you should know every nook and cranny of this place."

Everyone got up and out of their chairs except for Artemis, Superboy, Miss M, and Scarlet, so the only ones left in the debriefing room were the five of us and Aqualad, Kitsune and Nightwing. I felt everyone's eyes on me, so I decided to break the awkward silence. "So... it's been a while, huh?"

Artemis laughed, hitting me lightly on the arm. "That's not something you say after your friends find out you're not dead!"

"Ow, hey! I know, but what am I suppose to say, 'Tell me you guys brought some Chicken Whizee's?'" I exclaimed, trying hard not to smile. It didn't work, cause the moment I saw Artemis laughing at me, I let out a toothy smile.

Miss M started to laugh, placing a hand over her mouth. "Wally, you sure know how to make a reunion interesting." Miss Martian placed her hand on her lap, before staring at me. "I'm sure Artemis packed you Chicken Whizee's, but I made sure to bring some of my cookies."

"I am glad that you are alive and well, Wally," Aqualad intervened. He had a joyful smile on his face, and that was hard to come by. "We have missed you old friend."

"I second that," S.B. said, his expression happy and relieved instead of his usual scowl. "It's good to have you back, Wally."

"Look at all of us here," Kitsune spoke up. I hooked an arm around Artemis, pulling her closer to me. Her blonde hair tickled my face as we both turned to face Kitsune. "It's just like the old days, you know, back in the cave."

I saw Nightwing snake his arm around Scarlet's waist, and I could've sworn that she was smiling under her mask. She looked up at Nightwing, before looking back at the rest of us. "It feels like I'm with my family again. It feels like I'm finally home."

"Scarlet's words couldn't be more true," Aqualad said. "We are finally a complete family again."

"And we're finally home," Artemis said softly, planting a kiss on my face. We'll she would've if I hadn't turned my head at the last second, so she ended up kissing me instead. There was a few laughs coming from Nightwing, Kitsune and Miss M, but it didn't matter to me. What mattered was that I had my partner Artemis by my side again.

* * *

**I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter, with the Spitfire, and the Dick/Alexis, and more importantly, the manly talk about marriage! Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did, because honestly, all the foreshadowing is exciting. To be exact one small part of this chapter gave me an idea for a future appearance of another character (Hint: It's not an OC, but it isn't a canon character either).**

**Review, follow and fav!**


	6. More than Just

**I apologize ahead of time for this late chapter! I'm very busy this summer, but I'll always find time to write-up chapters, just not always the quickest to upload them. An extremely long chapter (4000+). I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, cause I really enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 8:21 a.m.**

**Kitsune's Pov**

I strode into the debriefing room silently, where I saw that only a few members of the team were there. Taking a seat in one of the chairs closest to the front I asked, "Where's everyone else?"

"Breakfast; M'gann and Alexis were cooking stuff up in the kitchen," La'gann answered. He was very laid back, with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed.

"You're not going to eat?" I asked, surprised that he didn't want some of M'gann's or Alexis' cooking.

"No thanks, I already ate." And with that he kicked his legs up on to the desk and crossed them over one another.

I frowned at how disrespectful he was being and how light he was taking all of this. Being able to go to Savoth was already a serious issue and now he was being disrespectful and just plain rude.

"La'gann, please do not put your feet on the table, it is very rude," Aqualad said, glaring at La'gann before glancing at me. I guess we both were thinking the same thing. Good thing Aqualad said something first cause I would've said something harsh. La'gann mumbled something under his breath thinking that we couldn't hear it, but he forgot about my super hearing.

"Well sorry for being so rude," he said with sass. He brought his feet off the table, but he still had his eyes closed and his arms behind his head.

I felt blood pumping through my veins, and before I said anything, I stood up and headed for the door. "I'm going to get something to eat."

Walking down the halls to the cafeteria, I listened to Aqualad reprimand La'gann for being so disrespectful and upsetting me. I smiled to myself, quietly thanking Aqualad for caring. I walked past the cafeteria, hearing everyone inside conversing happily among themselves, even catching Artemis say to Wally, "Don't eat so fast, there won't be any pancakes left for everyone else!"

"What are pancakes?" S'kidd asked.

Wally began to give him a long talk about the history and deliciousness of pancakes. I scoffed, at how silly everyone was being, but it felt right, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I decided that I wasn't hungry and needed some fresh air, so I was patrolling the perimeter, occasionally catching the footsteps of Reach soldiers, but they were a large distance from the bunker. I wasn't so far from the bunker however, and caught everything that was happening at the meeting.

"After yesterday's recon, we've decided that we'll have a squad of three go undercover as civilians that were caught trying to find food," Batgirl said. "This squads purpose is to gather intel while they are held prisoner."

"Miss Martian will be in this squad due to her martian abilities. You will be able to contact us through a link, and you are ability to shape-shift and density-shifting will be useful in this mission," Aqualad said, speaking directly to Miss M. "As for the rest of the squad, we have also chosen based on ability, and we have decided that Robin and Bumblebee will also go undercover. They are both knowledgable, Robin in technology and Bumblebee in science."

"Another squad will go undercover as Reach soldiers. They will gather intel directly from the Reach, and their plans, not forgetting the whereabouts of the Speed Force fragment," Nightwing said. "This squad will consist of Batgirl, Wonder Girl and Scarlet Tanager."

"Gamma squad will be Lagoon Boy, Beast Boy, and myself," Aqualad said. "We'll be underwater and seeing if the Reach has any ships at the bottom of the lake, and if they do, we need to learn how many, and how to take them out."

"Once we gather all of this intel, we'll make our move. Beta will free the king, and retrieve the Speed Force fragment, while Alpha will free the hostages. Gamma will take out the ships like Aqualad had said, and Delta will be the distraction squad," Batgirl said. I heard her pacing herself as she spoke. "That will be Superboy, Artemis, and Wolf. You guys will start creating havoc at the king's palace, which is in the center of the city. Take out guards, and invade the palace. They'll all head for you guys, while Beta can get the fragment, and Alpha can safely free the prisoners in the opposite direction."

"As for the rest of us, we will be keeping an eye out for you guys, and keeping track of the intel you gather," Nightwing said. I heard a shuffle and realized that he had placed his hands on his hips. I rolled my eyes imagining him doing it. _His tired, but I'm still serious pose._ "There will also be a second squad to help Gamma take care of the ships underwater. Epsilon will be made up of Guardian, Kitsune and G.L."

"Wait, which one?" Lagoon Boy piped up.

There followed a domino of murmurs all asking the same thing. Which Green Lantern has been sent to Savoth?

I stopped suddenly, turning around when I heard an unsteadily rush of wind brush behind me. My sai were already out in front of me, and I don't even remember grabbing for them. I guess it was due to my shock when I saw a Green Lantern standing in front of me. He had jet black hair that stood upwards, but was tossled, and he wore a mask that covered his eyes and his cheek bones. His suit was what was most different. Unlike the usual green lantern insignia in the middle of his chest, it was over his heart, and then followed the green and black of the suit. He looked younger though, definitely not as old as Guy, Hal or John.

"State your name, and your affiliation, and don't you dare try to make a move, or use that ring of yours," I spoke coldly. Even though I was sure that he was the Green Lantern that the League and the Green Lantern Corps had sent, you could never let your guard down.

"Green Lantern. My affiliation—Green Lantern Corps, and as of now, the Young Justice League of America," he answered calmly, evening throwing in a smirk at the end. "And you are the famous Kitsune, or can I call you Kit? Everyone just calls me G.L. anyways."

I almost twitched at the sound of him calling me by the nickname. I grit my teeth, before I lowered my sai back into their holsters. "I'm sure you've been informed before you came here, and know that I'm one of the leaders of this mission."

"No, no one told me anything, just that the Reach was breaking their treaty again, and that I'm supposed to work together with your team to make sure that they are properly arrested and escorted out of Savoth." This new Green Lantern paced in front of me, that stupid smirk never leaving his face. "So, where's everyone else, Kit?"

"What's your real name? G.L. is a terrible nickname, I mean there are three of you in the Justice League already," I said, and I caught him speechless for a few seconds. I smirked on the inside, finally able to swipe that grin off his face.

"Rayner. Kyle Rayner is my name," he finally answered. He looked like he was in a daze, even though I haven't even used my powers on him, and I decided not to use them on him either.

I scoffed and walked past him to the cave entrance, stopping beside him to speak. "Fox got your tongue?" I laughed, and pulled on the tree branch. While I stood in the doorway, I turned back to Rayner and said, "Come on, the team's waiting."

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 9:00 a.m.**

**Green Lantern's Pov**

"Hey, I'm Green Lantern, but you could just call me G.L." I stood casually in front of the rest of the team in the debriefing room. Kitsune stood beside me, and I caught her trying not to laugh at me. I rolled my eyes under my mask and continued, "I was sent by the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps to help you guys and Savoth with the Reach infestation."

Aqualad approached me and held a hand out. "It is an honor to meet you, Green Lantern. You will be working in the Epsilon squad, alongside Kitsune and Guardian."

_Oh, great. I'm stuck with Kit._ I sighed internally, but kept my usual smile. "It's an honor to be working with all of you."

Nightwing nodded, a small smile on his face, and his hands on his hips. "You're squad will be working alongside Gamma, and will help them take out the Reach ships. For now, you will wait here with the rest of us in the bunker as squads Alpha, Beta, and Gamma execute their own individual missions."

"Alright then, Alpha, Beta and Gamma Squads, prepare for your mission," Batgirl called out. The members of each squad nodded their heads. "Don't forget your Glamour Charms. As for everyone else, head over to the gym for some sparing and practice. Everyone needs to be at peak condition when we head into the city."

I stood there wondering where I should go, but a voice held me back. "Green Lantern, Kitsune, Nightwing, Scarlet, Artemis, Kid Flash, S'kidd Flash, Batgirl, Miss Martian, Superboy, please take a seat." I sat down in the seat in closest to me, looking up to see Aqualad standing. "The team understands that this will end in a war, with us fighting against the Reach once again. I also want everyone to understand that we are important figures to the rest of the team, and Kid and S'kidd, you two will be the figures of the people of this planet."

Everyone nodded, and waited for Aqualad to go on. He looked at all of us, but he stopped because he had finally found what he was looking for. I quickly snuck a glance behind me and saw that he was talking directly to Nightwing, Kid Flash and S'kidd Flash. "The last squad Zeta, with Nightwing, Kid Flash, and S'kidd Flash. The three of you will be the main leaders of the operation. S'kidd will help take care of the civilians with Alpha squad, and Kid Flash will aid Delta squad in distracting the Reach. The moment Beta squad is in possession of the fragment, either Wonder Girl or Scarlet must give it to Kid, who will then run over to the bunker and give it to Nightwing to seal away. Both S'kidd and Kid Flash will be going around to every squad for their Glamour Charms, which have holographically recorded everything you have seen. Nightwing will put together the evidence, and send it over to the Green Lantern Corps. That is when Green Lantern will need to head back to the bunker and speak with them."

I nodded as Aqualad talked, even though it went on and on, I got the gist of it. My role in all of this is just helping with the ships, and call the Corps for back-up and to arrest the Reach. Again. I smiled, more than willing to go along with this plan. At least now I knew what I signed up for. "Understood."

"Kitsune, because you and Kyle are in the same squad, show him around, and teach him a few things," Nightwing said, a smirk growing on his face. Scarlet Tanager, who sat beside him, looked up at him, before back at me. She was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't make out what, especially with her mask covering her mouth.

The rest of the team members said the same, before getting up and parting ways. I walked out of the room, following the crowd, but when I tried to find the gym I could only look around helplessly in the corridor. There was a tap on my shoulder, and there stood Kitsune. I had to look down at her. I guess she noticed too cause I could barely catch a frown from underneath her mask. "The gym's this way, or would you prefer to grab something to eat first?"

I thought about her question and decided that flying under tree branches, and nearly getting lost on my way here did build an appetite. I smiled down at her. "Breakfast sounds nice; flying takes a lot of effort you know?"

"No, I wouldn't," she said distasteful, not that she was disgusted, but more like she'd rather talk about something else. And she did, cause she followed up with a snarky remark. "but it was your fancy ring doing all the work for you anyways."

I didn't really let it get to me, instead, I decided to play along. "There's more than just being a Green Lantern, than the power that comes from our ring. You have to be focused, and you must have a clear mind, so that you can make anything from the power of your ring when you most need it."

"You can tell me all about it over breakfast," Kitsune sighed, not really paying attention to me, but I wanted her too. I wanted to prove to her that I wasn't just any Green Lantern from Earth. I didn't know why it mattered so much to be, but it just did.

I sat in the cafeteria waiting for breakfast. Kitsune said that she was going to make some stuff in the kitchen, but it felt like forever. I groaned, ran a hand through my raven hair, before walking through the kitchen doors hastily. I was more than surprised when I saw Kitsune cooking over the stove.

She wore an apron, and had her hair tied up. She turned her head in my direction just as hastily as I had entered the kitchen. She was mask-less, and her eyes weren't the eerie yellow they were when I had met her; they were a warm hazel-brown eyes. We held each others gaze's. hers confused, and mine expressionless. There was something just so captivating about her, even without her famous fox power. It was silent, so it was obvious we were staring at each other, but I didn't want to look away. Maybe it was because she looked so mesmerizing, and not like she was about to give me a snarky remark. She looked so serene, it was beautiful. My finger suddenly started twitch, either because I just called someone I met fifteen minutes ago beautiful, or because I suddenly had the urge to draw her down on some paper. Too bad my studio was all the way back in New York. A sudden thought appeared in my mind, and I took my words back; I couldn't get too close to Kitsune. I couldn't let what happened to Alex happen to Kitsune; it was already too much of a burden.

She shifted her arms, and placed one unconsciously on the stove. "Ow! Stupid hot stove!"

I scoffed at how easily she went from serene, to calling a hot stove stupid. She rubbed at her burning palm, before glaring at the stove. "You know stoves can't talk, right?"

She glared shifted from the stove to me, but I just let out a single laugh because it was nothing without her yellow eyes and fox mask. She continued to glare at me, when she finally said something, "I'm guessing you'd rather laugh at me, than eat. Your loss."

"Look, I didn't mean to, but it's just—" I stopped myself from finishing, not wanting to admit that I had thought she was beautiful, and then she had returned to her normal self. Or maybe that was Kitsune, but it was just a side she didn't show often. Maybe I should join this team after this mission. Every great team needs at least one G.L. anyways. I mean, the Justice League has three and they're doing amazing. Instead, I just took her hand and placed my right hand over it. My ring glowed and the light from it gently wrapped around her hand. In a few seconds her throbbing burn was gone. Letting go, I decided to let her finish cooking, since the egg was going to start to burn.

"I'll just go back outside and wait." I didn't have to wait long though, and I guess it was because Kitsune must've thought that I was really hungry. She placed a plate down in front of me and I had to admit, it smelled and looked delicious. There was an egg, toast with butter sitting on top, and three sausages. She also placed down a glass of milk beside my plate. I was about to eat, when my manners stopped me. "Thanks, Kit."

"Don't start with the Kit thing again, besides I should be the one saying thanks to you," she said. I was surprised to hear her saying the words so softly.

She started poking at her own plate. It was noticeably smaller than mine, with less on it. Just a piece of toast with strawberry jam smothered over it. She finally decided to eat, and took a bit out of the toast calmly. After swallowing, she said, "I'm not Kitsune now anyways. I don't have my mask on. There is no identity to hide."

I caught on, and placed down my fork and knife. I took my mask off, revealing my emerald-green eyes. I placed my mask down beside my plate, just like Kitsune had. I smiled, noting how different our two masks were while thinking about her words. _"I don't have my mask on. There is no identity to hide."_ And she was right. There was no identity to hide right then, so I decided to properly introduce myself to her. "Hi, I'm Kyle Rayner, thanks for this amazing breakfast—?"

Her face blanched at my words. That is, until she finally understood what I had said. She smiled, and this time, it wasn't a cocky smirk or a sly grin, it was a genuine smile. "Karie, I'm Karie Blaire Henderson."

I smiled, repeating her name. "Karie Blaire Henderson. Well, you might want to hurry up and finish your toast, Karie, cause it's getting cold." _Karie._ I kept repeating her name in my head as we ate silently. _It has a nice ring to it. Maybe it won't be so bad working with her._

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 9:20 a.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

Everyone was giving goodbye's and best wishes in the main lobby, while I was sitting on my bed clearing my head. The whole mission load down we got today is a lot to process. I just have to make sure to get my job right. Act like a Reach guard and don't do anything suspicious. I haven't even put on my Glamour Charm yet. Even looking at it brought back so many terrible memories, none that I ever want to go through again.

"Everyone's almost ready to leave." Nightwing's voice caught my attention. I opened my eyes slowly to see him leaning against the wall across from me. "Are you scared?"

I let out a breath, looking down at the Glamour Charm that sat in my hand. "Insecure is more like the word I was thinking of. I'm thinking about all the memories I have of my horrid time with Savage." I laughed at myself, thinking about how stupid I sounded. "Pretty silly of me to become so insecure about something like that."

Nightwing was suddenly in front of me, taking a knee. He cupped my hands, and held them. I suddenly felt so safe. "You're safe, and I'll make sure you are. I'll be with you guys the whole time, all you have to do is contact me via telepathy, and remember that you aren't alone. You've got Batgirl, and Wonder Girl. Do Tim a favor and look out for her; you know how Wonder Girl can be sometimes."

My insecurities were pushed away immediately once I started to think about Cassie. She needed someone to look out for her, and I had to be one of those people. I guess my motherly instincts are more powerful than my insecurities. I wrapped my arms around Nightwing, savoring him, and thanking him all the while. "I love you, and yes, I promise to be careful."

I felt Nightwing smile in my shoulder. "Good. I love you too. Only six months left you know?"

"How could I forget something so important?" I asked, smiling now. I pulled away, putting on my Glamour Charm. I may look exactly the same to everyone else on the team, but to anyone else, like G.L. then I'm a Reach guard. "We still haven't finished planning the whole thing yet."

"That's what your mom and Alfred are for," Nightwing said. He kissed me briefly, but it was a sweet kiss, and it didn't mean goodbye or anything like that, but I'll be waiting for you again. He smiled as he helped me put my mask on. "Come on, it's time for you to start your mission."

As we walked into the main lobby, I wasn't surprised to see everyone in a deep conversion with the members of the squads that were departing. Smiling under my mask, I caught Miss M and Superboy talking to each other, while Robin and Wonder Girl were talking discreetly to each other, not forgetting to mention Guardian and Bumblebee. Aqualad was with Batgirl, while Lagoon Boy was sharing a cheerful conversation with Beast Boy. Artemis and Wally stood off to the side with S'kidd, and I saw Artemis shake S'kidd's hand. So where was Kitsune and Green Lantern?

"Be safe, and make sure that dense head of yours doesn't bring you down," Nightwing said, kissing my forehead lightly.

I playfully hit his chest, laughing, "Will you quit it with the dense jokes? I think you've drilled it in my head a long time ago, so there's no need to keep reminding me!"

Nightwing didn't say anything, but just laughed as he wrapped his muscular arms around me. He didn't say anything, but just rested his head on mine. There weren't any words that had to be said, and I was glad. It felt just like it had yesterday when all of us were finally together again, the original team members of course. This time, our extended family made me feel the same, so when I stood there hugging Nightwing, I silently gave thanks for the amazing, loving team that I could come back to and be with. No, this team is more than just a team, it's a _family_.

* * *

**Anyone understand the title of this chapter? it means multiple things really, which is why I thought it fit for this chapter. This team is more than just a team, it's a _family._ Kyle Rayner, "There's more than just being a Green Lantern, than the power that comes from our ring."**

**Speaking of Kyle Rayner, did anyone expect him? Neither did I, until I saw a picture of him on DeviantArt, then I did some thorough research, and deduced that the team needed a G.L. and that he needed a girl who was too stubborn to die. It was very fun writing him, especially when he had to talk to Karie/Kitsune. Even though he isn't the 'I'm better than you' type, he's kinda flirty, a hopeless romantic, cheerful like Alexis, but a good guy in general. Kinda reminds me of Wally, except Wally is a lot goofier than Rayner.**

**Besides Rayner, what about you-know-what in six months? I think it's pretty obvious what it is, but guesses are welcomed, bonus points for those who even guess the month. ****So new G.L. Kyle Rayner yes/no? And Kyle/Karie or Karie/Dale? Let me know in your reviews, cause I'd like to hear which pair you guys ship.**

**Review, follow, and fav!**


	7. Dynamics

**An update! Another long chapter, after another long wait. Sorry to keep you all waiting, but here is the seventh chapter to A Matter of Time!**

**Disclaimer: I only own my characters Scarlet Tanager/Alexis, Kitsune/Karie. Every other character belongs respectively to DC Comics.**

* * *

**Savoth, Grand City**

**December 4TH 9:47 a.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

We had taken out the first wave of Reach soldiers walking past on patrol. The moment I said sleep, they fell to the ground, and we dragged their bodies into the underbrush. It was Batgirl who had told us to take the com-links in their helmets. Batgirl and I dissembled our own helmets for our coms, while Wonder Girl waited for Robin to find hers. As we worked swiftly, B.G. and I snuck a glance at Robin and Wonder Girl, and shared a look with each other and then one with Bumblebee and Miss M. We were all smiling or smirking.

"Slip them on," Batgirl said. "We can't have them suspect something is up. Zatanna and Doctor Fate specialized our Glamour Charms so that we look like any other Reach soldier, and can speak like them. All you have to do is talk normally."

I slipped the Reach's com-link into my ear. I waited for Wonder Girl to slip hers on, watching as she thanked Robin before she was ready. "Let's hurry, or they'll start to suspect something."

Taking their hand cuffs, we cuffed up Alpha squad and followed along the path, with Batgirl, Wonder Girl and I keeping our staffs pointed behind their backs.

When we reached the end of the path, I searched for the previous squad of guards that had walked ahead of us. I didn't even have to tilt my head to use my heat tracing anymore. _"Into the city, that's their routine. From the city, then out of it by a twelve-mile radius, then back."_

_"Why not farther than that though?" _Robin asked. He quickly opened up a map of Savoth on his gloved-computer, scanning for everything outside of the twelve-mile radius. _"Nothing that could pose as a threat to them, but it might be because they think there isn't any threat towards them outside of that."_

_"It's a possibility, now pay attention everyone, cause our real mission begins the moment we step foot into their HQ," _B.G. said. She looked over Wonder Girl to meet me. _"Every time we pass the bunker, you'll report back to Aqualad and the others by Soul-Clone. If anything extremely important comes up, link up to them and report it. Are we clear?"_

Miss Martian shifted to become more comfortable in her cuffs before saying, "Alpha squad ready."

It was the same as yesterday when we did some recon in the city; dark alleyways, but with the light reflecting off the windows of buildings lit up the city. I continued to lead my squad after the Reach guards, noting how they would always split about ten-feet at each intersection, before they would regroup. We did the same, but instead of searching for stray or runaway civilians, we took the time to analyze parts of the city.

_"What is that?!"_ Bumblebee asked once we had reached the Reach's HQ.

There were hundreds and hundreds of Reach soldiers and ships in front of the HQ. Some soldiers were marching out of it, while others were heading out into the city, or the outer area. My head was pounding with all the heat signatures moving around me, then again, it was always like this when my powers were doing their job.

_"They split from here. One goes into their headquarters, one heads over to the ships, while the other heads over to civilians," _I said, closing my eyes as I narrowed down the Reach soldiers we had followed into the city. A major headache was pulsing in my head from the overusing my powers. I ignored the urge to rub my temple, and continued, _"Batgirl?"_

_"Tanager, you're headquarters. If anyone asks you anything, don't be hesitant to use Songbirds Cry. I'll go to the ships, and get a full scan of them. When we rendezvous, we'll report to Aqualad about them. Wonder Girl, you'll be with Alpha squad, so make sure that they keep you updated on what the other civilians are telling them. Every piece of information is considered valuable,"_ Batgirl said seriously, before she started to speak with the Alpha squad. _"I'll leave the rest to you."_

Then we split.

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 10:07 a.m.**

**Kitsune's Pov**

We were training in the make-shift gym Wally, Alexis and I had tried to set up through Soul-Clone. Actually, all we really did was teleport the equipment to the bunker and let Wally and S'kidd figure out the rest. Everyone who wasn't deployed for their mission already was in the gym, except for Gamma, who had just left for their recon in the lake.

"What are we working on today, Nightwing?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips as I stood beside him in the center of the mat.

"Fighting against Reach soldiers," Nightwing answered, looking at everyone in the room. "Kitsune will demonstrate how to defend yourself from them, how to avoid their laser staffs, and how to knock' em out quickly and efficiently."

"This is solely hand-to-hand combat," I added. "No weapons, no powers, no holding back."

I smirked as I un-clipped my utility belt and dropped it on the floor. Nightwing walked off to the side where the others stood, before starting up the exercise. There were three Reach soldiers surrounding me, all of them with their staffs aimed at me. When they shot, I jumped at the one on my left, swiftly giving him a good roundhouse kick in the face, before I somersaulted behind him. The other Reach soldiers shot in my direction, but their lasers ended up hitting their comrade. As he crumbled to the ground/dissipated, I ran at the closest one to my right. The two soldiers shot at me again, but I easily ducked the lasers. As I ducked, I swept my leg to trip the one on my right. Just as he fell, I grabbed his staff, and quickly smacked the other soldier in the face, before promptly giving him a few kicks. Just as he fell, I spun around and knocked out the soldier on the ground with his own staff. That was the end of the training exercise.

"Any questions?" I asked, catching my breath.

S'kidd raised his hand slowly. I nodded for him to speak. "Where did you learn to do that?!"

"Batman and Black Canary taught me," I answered. My voice came out strong, but everyone else except Rayner and S'kidd could tell that my voice had wavered with hesitation. They knew why; I had practice even before Bats and Canary had taught me.

Thank goodness Artemis said something to distract everyone. "Who wants to go first?"

"We'll do this in pairs. Everyone buddy up," Nightwing said, discreetly looking my way. His look said everything, "You should go sit down."

I stood behind the control panel, while everyone else paired up. Wally and Artemis were going first, followed by Superboy and Wolf. Guardian was giving tips to S'kidd as they waited to go, while Nightwing was talking to Rayner casually. I wasn't paying much attention to what they were talking about, but when I heard Rayner bring up my name my ears twitched. Nightwing had hesitated just for a second, glancing at me for my reaction. I was watching Artemis and Wally take care of six soldiers, but he knew I was listening in on them.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Rayner asked, getting Nightwing's attention. "What was up with Karie when S'kidd asked her a question?"

Nightwing knew better than to tell him about my past, but being a master at wordplay since he was thirteen, he knew exactly what to say. "That's a touchy subject that I can't tell you about, or else Karie will try to kill me. But since I know you're probably going to ask her about it anyway, I'll just give you some advice; don't expect an answer."

Wally fell to the ground, dodging the laser of a soldier when Artemis grabbed his staff and flipped him over Wally. I clicked a few buttons on the panel, ending the exercise. I nodded for Superboy and Wolf to step up for their turn.

Artemis helped Wally up, Wally throwing his arm over Artemis and pulling her close. He kissed on her forehead and said, "Thanks babe."

Artemis rolled her eyes, smiling at Wally. "You know, you always end up on the ground during these training exercises?"

They continued bickering playfully even as every pair took their turn at the training exercise. I glanced over at Nightwing who only laughed and shook his head at them. My eyes looked over to Rayner who stood beside him, and realized that he had already been looking at me. He looked like he was trying to decipher something though. I looked back at S'kidd and Guardian, who were doing fairly well with taking care of the guards.

I wasn't really paying attention though because I knew what was going to happen later today; Rayner was going to come up to me and ask about my background. I didn't want to tell him, more specifically, I never wanted him to know.

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4 TH 2:17 p.m.**

**Green Lantern's Pov**

Gamma squad had come back from their recon mission, and now the team sat in the debriefing room. I sat beside Wally, only two seats away from Karie. Even from here I could tell that she was agitated.

"Gamma squad consisting of Lagoon Boy, Beast Boy and myself scoured all of the lake today, and have successfully found Reach ships hiding in it," Aqualad said, his voice serious and formal. "They are hiding off to the eastern side of the lake, which sets them farther apart from our location. There are around thirty ships below the surface that are waiting patient and ready."

"There's been a change of plans," says Nightwing. He brought up a map of Savoth on the holographic screen behind him. "If we attack the ships first before attacking the palace, it would draw the Reach's attention to the lakefront. If this fight takes place at the lakefront, then the city of Savoth and the civilians will be safer and apart from our fight."

"But if we attack the ships first, we risk destroying the bunker, and losing our connection to the Watchtower," Kitsune spoke up. "This won't matter though until this fight is over, because if we win, then we'll have the Speed Force fragment and be able to travel from Earth to Savoth anyways."

"Which is exactly why we're going to go through with this," Aqualad said. "Kitsune, we'll need you to contact both Scarlet Tanager and Miss Martian about this."

"I'm on it," she said, taking a deep breath. It was weird because she didn't seem like she was stressed or worried about anything.

_Maybe she was thinking about S'kidd's question earlier. I know I'm still wondering about her answer. _I really needed to ask her about that. It was so odd seeing Kitsune hesitant. My first impression of her was the exact opposite. In a way, it worried me.

"Alright, we're going to need to start building weapons to take down these ships, and for the Reach soldiers," Nightwing said.

"You mean bombs," Superboy said, watching as Nightwing uploaded a blueprint of a bomb. "We're going to build those?"

"You got it S.B. Actually, me, Guardian and K.F. is going to build it. We'll need everyone else's help with the material gathering, and the transporting," Nightwing said.

The meeting went on about how the bombs are going to work, when we'll use them, when we'll need to move them, and how we're going to move them.

"That's all for this meeting, everyone back to training," Nightwing said.

As everyone filed out of the debriefing room, I was about to put my hand on Kitsune's shoulder to get her attention when Guardian swung an arm over my shoulders pulling me in the other direction. I tried to turn around to see her standing there with her eyes enveloped in yellow and glowing even brighter than usual.

"So Kyle, how about you and I spar together?" Guardian asked, smiling under his golden helmet.

"Actually, I needed to talk to Kit about—" I was interrupted by Kid Flash who sped up beside me and swung his arm around my shoulders as well.

"Kit? Man, if Kitsune heard you call her that she'd probably smack your head until it's spinning," Kid joked. "Of course, it looks like she didn't need to that to get your head spinning."

I raised an eyebrow at both of them. "What are you guys trying to do?"

"Face it man, that vixen has got you good," Guardian said, laughing along with Kid. "Let's just say that we've seen many guys being charmed by her."

This caught my attention. I wasn't charmed by her, and if I was, I wouldn't risk taking it any further. What happened to Alex still haunts me. I stopped walking at the memory of her.

_I had come home after a long day of crime fighting to our apartment. I was excited to see Alex. With all the new responsibility as a G.L. and my meeting with the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corps, I've been gone for a good couple of days._

_I walked into our apartment, calling out for her. "Hey, Alex. I'm finally back." There was no response. I raised an eyebrow. Alex should've been at the door the moment I had opened it and greeted me with a hug and a smile. But she didn't. "Alex? You here?"_

_There was a note on the small dining table in the kitchen. _"Surprise for you in the fridge. Love, A." _Her handwriting looked, different. Pushing off the odd feeling, I headed for the fridge and opened it. I felt pain, grief, shame and sadness all slap me in the face as I sank to my knees. There was Alex, bloody and mangled, her body stuffed awkwardly into the fridge. She was _dead_._

_"Oh, God," I whispered. I shut my eyes and clenched my teeth, trying my best not to cry. I punched one of the tiles of the kitchen floor. "Alex, I'm so sorry." My voice had cracked on sorry. All I could think was "Some hero I am."_

She had died while I was away learning to be a hero to help and save people. But I couldn't even save her.

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4 TH 5:52 p.m.**

**Kitsune's Pov**

I had contacted Miss M and Scarlet Tanager, learning from both of them that Reach had total domination over the city. It didn't surprise me, but what did was how quickly they had to cut the connection.

"Hey, you okay?" Artemis asked. I sat on one of the benches breathing hard. "Was that sparring match really that intense? I didn't expect you to be."

I laughed. "Are you kidding? I haven't sparred since Batman made me go up against Batgirl, and that was two years ago."

"Who won?" Artemis asked, smiling as she took a seat beside me.

"You only asked because you already knew the answer," I said, bumping her shoulder gently. "Come on, we should start preparing dinner. All the boys are expecting us to make it."

I looked down at that thought. "They should be able to make their own dinner, so why are we expected to make it for them?"

"Because they know we're the best cooks on this team," Artemis said, holding her head high and proud.

"Can't deny that," I agreed.

We changed out of our uniform in our rooms before meeting each other in the kitchen of the cafeteria. Artemis was already in her apron lifting a pot on to the stove. "What are we making?"

"I don't even know half the foods in this kitchen," I admitted, going through the fridge. I pulled out some purple looking meat. "I think we should get S'kidd in here."

He came in a second later smiling and saluting to us. "S'kidd Flash at your service."

"Good," Artemis said, placing a hand on her hip. "Do you know any recipes for Savothian dinners, because we can't tell what is what?"

"There are some foods that come into mind…" S'kidd said before helping us prepare dinner.

As we waited for our turkey-like meat to cook in the oven, Artemis and I were preparing two separate deserts with Earth ingredients that Savoth did have. S'kidd had left, saying that he was going to start setting the table with Gar.

"What are we making for dessert?" I asked, smiling as I watched our main dish cook in the oven. "I was thinking of making a chocolate cake and oatmeal sugar cookies."

"Oatmeal sugar cookies? Where did you learn to make those?" Artemis asked, crossing her arms and giving me a quizzical look.

"A very close family friend," I answered, laughing at her look. "Trust me they taste way better than they sound."

"I guess I'll be making the cake then," Artemis said, turning to the fridge for eggs and milk.

In the middle of me making the cookie dough, and Artemis making the cake batter, Artemis said something that I'm very surprised I had missed earlier.

"While you were sparring against Aqualad, the guys, and I mean all of them, were talking about you and Kyle," Artemis said. "I could tell that you weren't listening, you always get so worked up and focused when you're sparring."

I cleared my throat uncomfortably. They were talking about me and Rayner? "What did they say?"

"They actually made a bet," Artemis said, looking down at her bowl of cake batter. She started to add the chocolate mix, or at least, the sweetest syrup in Savoth. I eyed Artemis as I placed my cookie dough on the pan and caught her smiling. "If Kyle could get you to fall for him as much as everyone thinks he has for you by the end of this Reach infestation, then all of the boys except Aqualad will have to pull a prank on every League member. If he doesn't, then he owes all of them five dollars."

They made a _bet_ to see if Rayner could get me to like him?! The thought was so infuriating, I completely disregarded that Artemis had said that everyone thinks that Rayner has fallen for me.

Artemis started to pour her batter in the cake tray. "I know that you're probably going to go knock some sense into the boys, but I'm not finished. Kyle didn't agree to the bet."

"Really?" I exclaimed a little too quickly. Artemis looked up at me and smiled knowingly. I felt my cheeks flare. "I'm mean he seems like the kind of guy who's always up for a challenge."

That earned a laugh from Artemis. "Karie, anyone who tries to go after you is in for a challenge. Besides, he doesn't seem like the guy who's into immature things like bets. He's more of the focused kind. Did you seem him when he was sparring? Wally didn't have a chance."

I smiled, turning away and placing my tray of cookies in the other oven. Thank goodness Artemis couldn't see me smiling, because my cheeks were still burning. _The focused type, huh? _I scoffed. _He might actually be up for this challenge._

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 9:07 p.m.**

**Karie's Pov**

I sat in the cafeteria alone, nibbling slowly on one of the left over oatmeal sugar cookies. I was thinking about what Scarlet Tanager had told me just before she cut the link. _"There's more than one Guardian with them this time. So far, I've only seen two, including Black Beetle." _Two Beetles? So far? We were barely able to take down one! How am I supposed to tell Nightwing and Aqualad?

"You know, those cookies taste pretty good." I jumped from my seat, almost dropping my cookie. I glared at Kyle, who was in pajamas; an old green-sleeved baseball t-shirt and some flannel pants. "Sorry, didn't expect to scare someone like you."

"What were you expecting then?" I asked, my voice cold. I was mad, and ashamed that the new guy had scared me.

"Well, I was kinda expecting that you'd share some of your cookie with me," he said. I stared at him with dead eyes, amazed by his answer. He gave me a joking smile before saying, "I'm kidding. Actually, I was expecting an answer for what had happened earlier today, you know when S'kidd asked you a question?"

I broke apart one end of my cookie, holding it out for him. He smiled as he took it, chewing on it happily. As he ate, I was contemplating whether I should tell him. I mean, I've only known him for twelve hours. I finished off my cookie, before getting up from my seat. "Some other time, Rayner."

I pushed past him, but he put a hand on my shoulder gently. I tensed, almost smacking him in the head when he said, "What happened to 'there is no identity to hide'?"

I frowned, hating that he used my own words against me. A flashback of the first time I ended up getting hit by a bottle. It was all red. I touched my left forearm unconsciously. The memory of the glass stuck inside my arm was still fresh, even though the memory took place nine years ago. My eyes started to blur, and I knew that I was going to start crying. I never cry in front of anyone, especially some guy I just met today. I brushed off his hand roughly and sped off to my room, the tears blurring the hallway.

* * *

**Savoth, Reach HQ**

**December 4TH 9:10 p.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

Something was happening to Karie, I could just feel it. You could call it sister's intuition, or our psychic bond. I couldn't do anything about it though because Batgirl, Wonder Girl and I stood in the courtyard of the Reach headquarters, watching as the Scientist and Black Beetle walked up on to the stage by the entrance. Following them closely was another Beetle, the three of us dubbing him realistically, Red Beetle.

Anyways, every soldier was to report to the front of HQ because of some big announcement they had to make. The Scientist stood behind the podium, clearing her throat to silence everyone. "My fellow Reach. We gather here tonight because we have an announcement to make."

There was a small murmur from the crowd as the Reach soldiers were guessing what the announcement could be. I glanced at Batgirl and Wonder Girl. _"Any guesses on what this big announcement might be?"_

_"Miss M said that the civilians down in the prison didn't know anything about the scientist, Gorflack,"_ Wonder Girl said. She was frowning under her helmet, upset that they couldn't squeeze a lot of information out of the civilians. _"There was this one guy who said that he probably hid the fragment some place where the Reach would never find it. Maybe they finally have."_

"The scientist of this planet, Gorflack, who studies the Speed Force has finally told us where he has hidden the fragment," the Scientist said smiling, all the while confirming Wonder Girl's guess. "His little experiment S'kidd Flash has it in his possession. Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock, Red Beetle and all of you will be searching for Gorflack's little failure of an experiment. That is all."

We followed the soldiers to their quarters, and found our way on to random bunks. We lay on them helmetless, but it didn't matter because our Glamour Charms made us look like any one of them anyways. I was the first to say anything, _"What are we going to do?"_

Batgirl and Wonder Girl slept on a separate bunk from mine, so there was a completely clueless soldier sleeping on the bunk above me. Both of them rolled over to look at me, Batgirl being the first to comment, _"I have a plan. S'kidd will hand himself in."_

_"What?! We can't do that!" _Wonder Girl exclaimed, her voice ringing in my head loud and clear. She grabbed the side of her bed and looked down at Batgirl like she was crazy.

_"I know. Which is why Miss M will pose as S'kidd." _Batgirl smiled up at Wonder Girl. _"Our plan for bombs might have to be crossed off, because if they do find our bunker and S'kidd tomorrow, then our war might be waiting for us in just a few hours. With Miss M posing as him, the rest of the team will have time to figure out where the fragment is, and how we can use it to our advantage."_

_"I'll tell Miss M to start a link with you guys, I'm Soul-Cloning back to the bunker," _I said. I shifted into a more realistic sleeping position, before calling for Miss M. I knew that she was already talking to Wonder Girl and Batgirl because Wonder Girl's face was contorting in thought, while B.G's eyes were moving back forth like she was processing something. I breathed, thinking, _Here I go._

* * *

**I'm so sorry for not updating in almost a month, this is probably the longest I've ever been without posting a new chapter. My summer's been so busy, and when I finally found time to write, then I came up with the idea to create a series of one-shots that happened in between this series involving any and every character (like Jason Todd). So far I have over forty ideas for one-shots. So what do you guys think of the idea? I've already finished two, and I'm working on the third. Of course this main fic comes first, but let me know what you guys think.**

**Review, follow and fav!**


	8. A Change of Plans

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 9:21 p.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

I found myself in Nightwing's room, where he was lying asleep on the bed. I smiled, taking off my mask. I walked silently over to his side, before materializing more solidly. I kissed his forehead, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, wake up, it's me, and I've got really important news."

He slowly opened his right eye, the misty sky-blue was contrast in comparison to his raven black hair. Of course, he was a natural charmer, and knew the effects his looks and smart mouth had on people. I wondered if he knew how much of an effect he had on me?

He got up slowly, swinging his legs over the bed. "How long do you have?"

"An hour at the least," I said. I pulled him up, grabbing the domino mask from his table side and covered up his blue eyes. "Wake everyone up, we can't waste any time."

When we both stood, Nightwing suddenly held me by the hips and was kissing me. It was short and quick sadly, but satisfying none the less. I gave him a knowing look, that said, "What happened to no time to waste?"

He smirked at me. "You said you had an hour. I'm just trying to help you make the most of your time."

I put my mask back on, locking it to place around my ears. As we walked out of the room together, I noticed that Nightwing was still smirking at me. Back then, I probably would've blushed and try to look away. Now, all I do is smile at him knowingly.

In the debriefing room, everyone looked weary and tired, except Kitsune. Behind her mask I could tell that she had cried, her eyes red and puffy. Before I could say anything to her, she asked for me to speak. "Around thirteen minutes ago, the Reach held a meeting in front of their HQ. The Scientist had announced that Gorflack, the scientist of Savoth that created S'kidd had revealed where the Speed Force fragment is. He had told her that S'kidd was in possession of it."

All eyes widened and turned to S'kidd, who was just as shocked as everyone else. He laughed nervously. "Wait, there must be a mistake, Gorflack would never even let me near the fragment, I can't remember a time when he even came up to me with it."

"At exactly seven in the morning, Red Beetle and every Reach soldier will be out looking for you," I said, surprising myself by how serious I sounded. "Batgirl proposed that Miss M will pose as you and turn herself in, buying us time until we can figure out where Gorflack has hidden the fragment."

"Wait, did you just say Red Beetle is out for S'kidd?!" Beast Boy exclaimed.

"Yes, but Black Beetle is also here on Savoth as well," I said. I could sense everyone's heart beat frantically at the idea of two Beetles. "We need a back-up plan, in case they realize that Miss M is a fake. In case they do find the bunker."

Everyone was in deep thought about this situation we were suddenly put it. Everything was going fine, until it just escalated to this in a matter of a few seconds. Aqualad seemed to be the first one with a plan. "Artemis, Beast Boy and Kitsune will figure out where the fragment is. Kid Flash, Superboy, Guardian and Wolf, you four will be building the bombs, you should be able to build twenty or more by midnight. Nightwing and Green Lantern, we're going to need an escape route. Tanager, I need to speak with Alpha and beta squad."

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 9:30 p.m.**

**Artemis' Pov**

The three of us stood in S'kidd's room, wondering where the fragment could possibly be. S'kidd didn't know; his reaction earlier said it all. Beast Boy stood on my left, thinking thoughtfully with his head tilted to one side. Kitsune, who stood to his left, stared at S'kidd not even blinking. I knew that look; she was so deep in thought, she forgets about everything around her. I smiled at the memory when I had first caught her doing that. We were in the middle of exams, and I noticed that Karie had suddenly stopped writing. I had to step on her foot at least four times when she finally snapped out of her trance.

_"What?"_ she asked, not even reprimanding me for stepping on her.

_"Hurry and finish your exam, we've only got twenty minutes left," _I said, focusing back on my own exam.

She had aced that exam. When I asked her how she did it, all she said was that she had been thinking very thoroughly about all the questions and the correct answers to them. All I said was that she was spending a lot of time as Batman's partner. She had laughed it off, but it was a happy memory of our days at G.A.

"S'kidd, did Gorflack ever adjust your suit around two weeks prior to the meeting of the trade?" Kitsune asked, walked around S'kidd, her eyes dancing back and forth.

It always surprised me when she asked questions like these because I could see Batman in her place asking the exact same. I placed my hands on my hips as I asked, "You don't have any other suits do you?"

"No, just the one I'm wearing, and he said that he needed to fix the padding of my suit two days before the city was imprisoned," he answered, shifting his eyes as Beast Boy rummaged through his room. Beast Boy pressed his ears against the metal walls, as if he could hear the fragment humming. "Gorflack built this place before he created the first fragment."

Beast Boy turned around with a frown, deciding to go through S'kidd's bed instead. I bit my lip, trying to think of every possible place a scientist would hide one of his most precious creations. You couldn't put it in the padding of S'kidd's suit, but where else would you hide a eight-inch silver lightning bolt?

"Should we ask Nightwing to go through the computer in the lab?" I suggested, feeling like we were out of options.

Kitsune shook her head. "A scientist should be smart enough to not keep any files like those on any tech. Besides, I have this feeling that the fragment is in this room. You know, in plain sight. We just have to think outside the box."

"Outside the box," Beast Boy repeated, scratching his head in thought. "I've already tried the walls, the bed, his mini fridge, and his desk. Looks like S'kidd really does have it."

"But you can't fit the fragment in his knee pads, and if Gorflack did, then S'kidd would've noticed the difference by now," I said, frowning. I gripped the side of my head and closed my eyes. "This scientist has seriously outsmarted us."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly went from gloomy to bright. Kitsune suddenly told S'kidd to sit on his bed, and to take his boots off. Kitsune picked one up, pressing on the grip at the bottom. Then she started to smile slyly. I shook my head as I tried not to laugh, as Beast Boy and S'kidd only stared at the two of us confused.

"Gorflack may have outsmarted the entire Reach," Kitsune said. Her eyes glowed as she morphed the heel of S'kidd's boot, catching a four-inch piece of silver that made up half of the Speed Force Fragment. "but he didn't outsmart us. I knew when S'kidd had said padding, that Gorflack actually did adjust them. He had meant the padding of S'kidd's boots. Since he knew S'kidd would've felt the fragment under the padding, he hid it in the heel of his boots, breaking the fragment into two."

S'kidd scratched his hair awkwardly. "Oops. I couldn't even tell that my boots were fixed. They always felt the same, so I couldn't tell the difference."

"It's okay, S'kidd," Beast Boy told him, patting on the back. "All that matters now is that we have the one thing the Reach has been looking for. The only problem is that they're broken in half; Kitsune could you—?"

She shook her head. "I've already tried, but this isn't some kind of natural material like the rubber in S'kidd's boots or M'gann's clothes. Gorflack manufactured this to contain part of the Speed Force's power. Besides, my psychic ability is extremely different and limited compared to a Martians because I'm also a human."

"That means that we're going to need Kid Flash and Nightwing to take a look at it," I said, already heading for the door. "Come on, now that we've got the fragment, we need to prepare for the search party tomorrow."

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 4TH 10:07 p.m.**

**Kid Flash's Pov**

I let out a breath. It's been around forty minutes since S.T. Soul-Cloned back here to warn us about the search for S'kidd in the morning. In that forty minutes, my team of muscles and I have finished building at least four bombs. That's one per every ten minutes, and if we're working until midnight that means that we should be able to build—

"Kid, we've got the fragment!" Artemis exclaimed from the doorway of the lab. She walked over to me, while the rest of the group gathered around.

Kitsune walked up to us slowly, all of us watching her as she took her time. She held out both of hands, revealing two jagged silver fragments. "We're going to need you and Nightwing to take a look at this. I can't put it back together."

I picked up each piece and held them so they made one whole lightning bolt. This was the Speed Force Fragment. I could feel pulsing surges pump through me as I held part of the Speed Force in my hand.

"Hello? Savoth to Kid Flash?" Artemis said, snapping her fingers in front of my eyes. "Kid?"

"We could try welding it back together, but if Kitsune wasn't able to put it back, then I'm not sure that'll work," I said.

"You go ahead and figure out how to fix that lightning bolt," Guardian said. He looked around at everyone gathered in the lab. "I've got the basic idea for each bomb, and I'm sure Kit-I mean Kitsune could probably help me figure out the rest. Then everyone else could help with the building."

Kitsune stared intensely at Guardian, probably thinking about knocking the helmet off of his head for the nickname slip. I've known her for over six years, and I still can't understand why she's so against nicknames. Actually, that's a total lie. Artemis had explained to me one time after I had slipped (for the sixth time) why she hated nicknames; back then, her dad use to call her and Alexis many things that no dad should ever call their daughters. I guess it was the same for Alexis too, because Dick had told me the same thing.

I nodded, flashing a smile at Artemis before I sped out the room. I found myself in the debriefing room where Nightwing and G.L. stood talking to Batman, while Aqualad sat at the debriefing table staring off into space. I knew he was really talking to Alpha and Beta squad, but I probably would've taken an embarrassing picture with Aqualad, just for memories sake. Of course, Batman was right there, and we were here to save an entire planet.

"We've found the fragment," I said. I held out the halves, wondering how he would react to the broken fragment. "We're not sure how to put it back together, but I can feel the Speed Force in these pieces. It's still in good condition."

"But it'd be stronger if it were a whole," G.L. finished.

I opened my mouth for a response, but I was out of words. I glanced over at Nightwing for help. He picked up the pieces and observed the broken ends of both. "Kitsune probably couldn't fix this. Welding doesn't look like it'll do much either..." He looked up at G.L. and I for suggestions.

Surprisingly, G.L. snapped his fingers from behind me. "We should get Miss Martian, Kitsune or Scarlet to make contact with the scientist. He should know how to fix the fragment."

"Kitsune's the only telepath that's available right now," Nightwing said. He opened up his computer glove and sent a message to Kitsune. Once he finished, he looked up at us and said, "She's on her way."

Just as Kitsune walked in, Aqualad snapped out of his trance and stood. "There's been another change of plans."

"Yeah, cause now we have the real fragment, and not the Reach," I laughed, showing off the broken fragment to Aqualad. His eyes widened at the broken lightning bolt. I was quick to reassure him that it was still in working condition.

He nodded. "Now that we have the fragment, then the real S'kidd will hand himself in. Of course, since that would look suspicious, S'kidd will attack the Reach. And so will Kid."

"What?!" I said, my outburst louder than I had thought. "You want me to be captured too?"

"I didn't say that," Aqualad replied calmly. "The sight at the two of you will spark a confusion in the Reach. The rumours will spread to hostages, and their hope will also be rekindled. Not only that but once they realize that S'kidd doesn't have the fragment, they will execute S'kidd in front of all the Savothians. On the day of his execution, we attack."

"So S'kidd will be stalling for how many days at the latest?" G.L. asked, turning his attention back on Aqualad.

"We'll only know once Alpha or Beta hears from him while he is captive," Aqualad answered honestly.

Kitsune sighed. "Looks like all we have to do is finish with the bombs, hide them on the beach and in the forests, and tell S'kidd his role for his planet. If we're done here, let's head back and help finish with the bombs. The team sounds like they need rest soon; their breathing is quickening."

"You can hear them?" G.L. asked. Everyone stared at him like he was crazy. He held his hands out in a shrug. "What? The Green Lantern Corps or the J.L.A didn't give me personal rundown on all of you or your abilities."

The four of us shared a look. Nightwing, Aqualad and I were all thinking 'This guy needs to catch up,' while Kitsune was glaring at him. The three of us were surprised, not because of her glaring (she did that to everyone) but now that we were actually paying attention, we all noticed how her eyes were red and puffy. Kitsune had cried?! Sharing one more glance with Nightwing and Aqualad, we all came to the obvious conclusion: G.L. had said something to make her cry. Our trust level of the guy dropped to a new low. The only way to cheer her up was to let her _start _talking about it, or to just let her cool off.

Aqualad and Nightwing continued to stare at me. They expected me to break the awkward tension. I nodded slightly, just so Kitsune and G.L. wouldn't notice as they had their intense stare-off.

"One last thing," I said. I almost smirked at Kitsune's annoyed 'I know what's next look'. "Who's on guard duty tonight? Cause I'm gonna need a good night's sleep for the show I'm gonna put on tomorrow."

Nightwing walked over and patted my shoulder, leading me to the door. "You know K.F. you kinda sounded like Bart just now."

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 5TH 12:00 a.m.**

**Kid Flash's Pov**

I pulled Artemis closer to me, her blonde hair tickling my face. I heard her scoff. "Can't sleep?"

"Sorry if I woke you up," I apologized. I smiled contently, before I sighed and answered, "In about seven hours, I finally get to stretch my legs. No stopping until Kitsune and Aqualad give me the signal."

Artemis laughed. "I heard from Kitsune that you were acting a bit like Bart?"

I shrugged. "I'm his first cousin, once removed. I wouldn't be surprised if we shared some similarities. How's he doing as Kid Flash of Earth?"

Artemis smiled, opening her eyes. "He gets along with everyone; the jokester of the team. He told me one time that he felt like a fraud wearing the uniform. I guess he feels like guilty after your disappearance, but he shouldn't anymore. Not when you're here right now."

She pulled away from under my chin and rested her forehead against mine. I couldn't see her, but I knew her shining gray eyes were staring right back into my green ones. "I missed you."

The arm I had resting securely around her waist tightened gently. "I never stopped thinking about you, Artemis. I stopped running for you, but if you told me to run, I'd do it in a flash."

She laughed, before trying to keep it down. "That was so cheesy. I knew you were a hopeless flirt the moment you walked into the cave."

I smiled at the memory. It was pretty embarrassing to fall in front of Batman and the other Leaguers, but my attention wasn't on them. It was on the blonde archer that looked down on me. "Hey, my Wall-man charm worked on you didn't it?"

"It did. What you said just a second ago and your letter prove it," she said, nudging into me.

It still surprised me how perfect and right it felt when Artemis was just here in arms. "I love you, babe."

Artemis made a soft sound of air. I laughed at myself; she fell asleep, but she still heard me anyways. I guess the soft breath of air was supposed to be her 'I love you too, idiot'.

* * *

**A little bit of Dick/Alexis in the beginning, some Spitfire at the end, some tension between Karie and Kyle, and a whole lot of things that have set-up the next chapter. I'm pretty happy that I finally finished the Spitfire scene. I knew that there hasn't been much since the letter and the future talk, but then I found a picture of Wally and Artemis getting married in Paris. My inspiration sky-rocketed. Of course, since I'm so new at writing Spitfire, suggestions for possible scenes in this fanfic would be great.**

**On the other note, would anyone please tell me what the name of their pit-bull is? Suggestions work too. The last note is that I have posted my one-shot collection for this series! It's called Snippets of the Song. I'd be very grateful if you guys checked it out.**

**Review, follow and fav!**


	9. The Irony

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 5TH 6:30 a.m.**

**Kitsune's Pov**

We finished eighteen bombs. We were going to make a couple more tonight for the fleets underwater, since they were going to be the most overwhelming. Just this morning Nightwing had told everyone that our Green Lantern was going to take care of the Beetle's, but since there were two, I was going to help with the other because it went so well the first time I fought one.

"Alright, we're all set," Nightwing announced, once he finished installing a hidden camera into S'kidd's suit. "K.F. and S.F. remember, it's okay to take out some of the guards, but it's important that you both don't stop running. Artemis?"

She walked over to Kid and wrapped a Glamour Charm around his neck. He picked it up, laughing at the irony. "Giving bling to your 'supposed' dead boyfriend, huh?"

Artemis narrowed her eyes, but she smiled angrily as she slapped Kid in the arm. "So not the time to joke!"

I laughed at the two if them, and how Wally had always been the only person who's able to make Artemis made and smile all at the same time. But I have to admit, the irony was laughable. "Alright, enough, and tuck your 'bling' under your suit. With your distraction, it'll give us the chance to hide some of the bombs. We'll have divide into four squads. One will hide the bombs on the beach, while another will watch out for Reach guards. We'll have a squad back here to monitor S'kidd and Kid's progress, while the last will hide some bombs in the forest. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am," Rayner said, saluting me.

I ignored him, nodding to Aqualad to start grouping our squads. "Beast Boy, Lagoon Boy and I will take the beach. Kitsune, Artemis, Wolf will plant the bombs in the forest. Green Lantern and Superboy, you're on watch duty. Nightwing and Guardian, you two will monitor Kid Flash and S'kidd-Flash."

After we separated the bombs between the two groups, Nightwing opened the door, saying to all of us, "Stay whelmed."

Kid and S'kidd easily took out all the guards in the surrounding area, giving us a clear route. I opened up my computer glove. Nightwing had sent me a map of Savoth, with new details from Batgirl and Scarlet Tanager. I pointed at a few places in by the pathway. "By the trees, we'll set them off when the war starts. If we're lucky, some of these trees might even fall over and block the path."

Wolf started digging, zigzagging his way from tree to tree. As he dug, Artemis and I carefully set the disk-shaped bombs into the six-inch deep hole. Artemis taking the right, while I took the left. Wolf came back all over again, pushing the dirt back over the bomb.

"How come these things aren't going off?" She asked, putting the dirt back over one the bombs.

"They're like bigger versions of my Bat-a-Rangs," I answered, pulling one out of my utility belt easily. "I can set a certain time for them to go off."

Wolf trotted up to me, staring at me patiently. I was about to pet him and tell him that he did a good job when I heard footsteps from behind. _"Soldiers, hide."_

Artemis and I both jumped up into the trees, Artemis scrambling to get up. The soldiers were coming down faster than I expected, and I couldn't set off the bombs, then they'd know that we were here. I quickly whipped my Bat-a-Rang in front of them. It stuck into the ground in front of them on an angle. They all looked at it cautiously, bringing up their staffs to shoot down the Bat-a-Rang. I smirked. _Not a chance._ It went off a second after my thought.

_"Artemis, cave, now," _I said, my voice as monotone as Batman's.

I heard her jump off the tree and start running deeper into the forestry on her side of the path. Wolf raced ahead of me slightly, holding back just for me to keep up. The Reach Soldiers were stunned, but not until I heard them start running back in the opposite direction. _The speedsters._ I thought obviously.

We made it back to the cave safely, with Artemis and I leaning against each for support as we sat on the floor. The last time we ran so much was when we were re-trying out for the track team back at G.A. Artemis was thinking the same thing, but she smiled at me.

"Thanks for the cover," she breathed, trying to slow down her breathing.

I laughed. "Looks like you're totally out of it."

I felt her glaring at me. "It hasn't been that long. You've been out of it longer than I have."

"Actually, Batman makes sure that she still trains regularly." Nightwing walked out of the lab. He nodded at me. "I hacked into the city's security system. We've got views of every block of the city."

He walked back to the lab, just as I opened my computer glove again. There was a list of cameras, but I changed it so that it would show me twelve at a time. Artemis tapped on the ninth one. There was a tornado of yellow and red. I remembered the technique. Batman had taught me that knowing your team mates and their abilities will help you work with them better. That was followed by a variety of security footage that he had secretly gotten from each city. When Flash and Kid Flash start running in circles around their target, it creates a suction, causing the loss of air inside the circle. Something along those lines. It's been years since he had shown me the footage.

Wolf perked his ears up at the doors opened again. G.L. and Superboy were the first to walk in, followed by soaking a soaking Lagoon Boy, Beast Boy and Aqualad. Aqualad was the first to speak when Rayner caught him off. "What happened to you two?"

"Some soldiers just as we finished," I answered. Artemis turned her head quickly, her ponytail hitting my head lightly. "I made a quick distraction, before we made a run back to the cave."

Aqualad nodded approvingly. "I assume then that the planting of the bombs was a success?"

"Aqualad, do you even have to ask?" I laughed. He had a small smile on his face. "You know I _always_ get the job done."

"What are you guys watching?" Lagoon Boy asked, walking behind me.

"Nightwing hacked into the city's security system," I answered, shutting it off. "We should get to the lab; we'll have a better view of S'kidd and Kid."

The very first thing that happened was that G.L. held his hand out for me. Lagoon Boy had helped Artemis up, so now my side was empty. Everyone walked past us, but I could hear them ask Artemis and Aqualad what was going on between us. Great, now their going to start assuming things. But he still stood there, waiting for me expectantly, and I still sat there, even though I could've easily gotten up myself.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said. "Nightwing warned me that I probably wouldn't get an answer, but I didn't know that you would react like that. I just wanted to know why you were upset, cause I thought that maybe I could cheer you up somehow. You know like friends do."

Friends. He wanted to help me because we're friends. I sighed, closing my eyes as I shook my head, almost laughing at him. I finally took his hand, and was up faster than I expected. "Only because we're friends, I accept your apology."

He smiled, but he looked extremely happier than he let on. His heartbeat sounded like a pop song on the radio. "Friends. Just know that I'll always be there if you need me."

He looked at me expectantly, and I rolled my eyes, playfully pushing him in the arm. "I'll tell you about what happened another time. Just don't ask or bring it up _ever again_."

"Promise," he said, his voice serious, but his smile still aloof.

* * *

**Savoth, Mt. Justice II**

**December 5TH 7:22 a.m.**

**Scarlet Tanager's Pov**

_"They sure know how to make the bad guys made," _Wonder Girl commented.

Every soldier was supposed to rush out into the city right now and fend off against the speedsters that had suddenly appeared out of now where. Miss Martian had snuck out of the prison to go record evidence for the Guardians of the universe. After S'kidd and Kid have their share of fun, S'kidd has to get them to admit that they weren't invited on to their planet.

_"Scarlet, make a link to Kid Flash and S'kidd Flash,"_ Batgirl said, as we followed the mass of rushing guards.

_"Done,"_ I said simply.

_"Kid Flash, S'kidd Flash, an update on your status?" _Batgirl asked.

_"How many soldiers have we taken out S'kidd-Flash?"_

_"I don't know, but definitely more than a hundred Kid Flash," _laughed S'kidd-Flash. _"Where are you guys anyway?"_

_"We're waiting until Red Beet—" _I looked up at the flying red and black beetle above me. _"Kid, S'kidd he's coming."_

_"S'kidd, this is all you know buddy!" _Kid said.

The three of us glanced at each other, before pushing through the guards. Only after turning the corner of the block, I felt Red Beetle hovering in mid-air with a yellow and red hero in his hand. I quickly stopped running, holding my staff out to stop Batgirl and Wonder Girl. Something was wrong. That speedster in his hand...

_"Not good." _Suddenly I felt S'kidd running out of the city. That meant that the speedster Red Beetle was practically choking to death was... Kid. S'kidd's voice came out even more frantic the first time. _"What am I going to tell Artemis?"_

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**This chapter was shorter than I expected, but I really wanted to get an update out before school starts. I can't wait to write Artemis' reaction to Kid's capture next chapter.**

**Review, follow and fav!**


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